Category: Ranked

Categories
Ranked

RANKED – The Jurassic Franchise

The Jurassic franchise has been a staple of the creature-feature genre since Steven Spielberg’s technology pioneering blockbuster hit screens in 1993. Since then we’ve seen all sorts of crazy dinosaurs, colourful characters and epic set-pieces as the series has evolved through the decades, culminating in the recently released Jurassic World Dominion. Here we take you through a ranking 65 million years in the making, to crown the apex predator of Jurassic films.

6. Jurassic World Dominion (2022)

Universal Studios, 2022

Dominion is the worst of the Jurassic franchise by about 65 million years and it’s not even close. What should have been a slam-dunk of a premise – dinosaurs finally unleashed upon the world and forced to interact with humanity – is completely squandered by returning director Colin Trevorrow, who instead gives us a story about a devastating locust plague. Just about everything else that could elevate that awful premise also drops the ball, as the returning trio of Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum are forced into half-baked corporate espionage scenarios before being completely shoved to the side.

What makes this culmination of the franchise sting so much is the lack of respect for the dinosaurs. They barely register as anything more than plot devices, cropping up to give Chris Pratt’s Owen and Bryce Dallas Howard’s Claire obstacles to overcome as they search the globe for their newly adopted daughter Maisie (Isabella Sermon). Far too much of Dominion is spent tackling the existential crisis of this young girl coming to terms with her genetically altered creation and, along with the locusts, works to reinforce a line spoken in Jurassic World that the filmmakers now seem to believe themselves: “people don’t care about dinosaurs anymore”. Only we do, and Dominion seems hellbent on wasting them every chance it gets.

5. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

Universal Pictures, 2018

Under the mantle of director J. A. Bayona and an approach that breaks all the franchise norms, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom unfortunately fails to find much success with its renewed outlook. In what feels like the first of two competing halves of separate films, returning heroes Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) are called upon to help protect the creatures they narrowly escaped from in their previous outing, as a volcano threatens to wipe out all prehistoric life remaining on the troubled island Isla Nublar. This opening is substantially better than the second half of the film, which meshes much of the better parts of the previous films while stripping back much of the unnecessary baggage.

The hardest pill to swallow comes in the form of the large tonal shift during the third act, which comes from a left turn into shady black market dealings, undercutting a more horror-focused haunted house adventure. As one complete film, this transition is rather jarring and isn’t helped by the cast of forgettable faces struggling to assist Pratt and Dallas Howard in keeping the film afloat. Toss in a needlessly bizarre plot twist and another big bad dinosaur hybrid that only exists for a big final showdown, and you’re not left with too much to recommend here. It does still have its redeeming moments, but Fallen Kingdom suffers from such an identity crisis in the two stories it wants to tell that it ends up struggling to find its footing in either.

4. Jurassic World (2015)

Universal Pictures, 2015

Jurassic World marked a fresh start for the franchise, over 20 years after the 1993 classic that started it all. Riding a much hyped wave of nostalgia, World made the most of every opportunity to appeal to long-time fans while attempting to lay the foundations for a new trilogy that would capture a new audience. It succeeds for the most part in the fan-service department, with several obvious nods to the original trilogy scattered throughout and the sweeping familiar soundtrack flourishes underpinning many of the film’s bigger moments. Yet despite succeeding as a decent celebration of the franchise, Jurassic World struggles to justify its existence and move the story forward in meaningful ways.

The plot here functions as a carbon copy of the original Jurassic Park – two siblings inexplicably become lost in a prehistoric safari, before forming a bond with a charismatic pair of dinosaur experts as they each confront their fears and weaknesses in order to escape. The problem here is that none of these pieces seem to gel together when the story plays out on screen. Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) are serviceable leads, however each of them struggle to muster enough charisma to carry the film and their chemistry is almost non-existent. Claire’s nephews, Zack (Nick Robinson) and Gray (Ty Simpkins), have a contentious and troubled relationship that simply ceases to be a problem when the going gets tough, and each character very much ends the film where they began. Just about every other side character fails to leave a lasting impression, save for a woefully underused Vincent D’Onofrio as a slimy proponent for dinosaurs in the military. A fun time for a shot of concentrated nostalgia but one that fails to recapture the magic of the 1993 original.

3. Jurassic Park III (2001)

Universal Pictures, 2001

The forgotten Jurassic film, Joe Johnston’s third instalment in the franchise (and first post-Spielberg) is largely successful in recycling elements of the first two films to create a fun if forgettable sequel that never stops delivering in terms of sheer thrills per minute. Tricked into aiding the quirky Paul Kirby (William H. Macy) and his loud ex-wife Amanda (Téa Leoni) search for their missing son Eric (Trevor Morgan) on Isla Sorna, Dr. Alan Grant (Neill) is none too pleased to once again be face to face with the creatures that caused him hell so many years ago.

Unlike Spielberg’s films, Johnston isn’t shy about his dinosaurs and doesn’t waste any time showing them off, preferring to constantly assault the viewer with chase scenes and close calls in a bid to make them as fatigued as the central characters. It’s a different approach that works more than it doesn’t but bizarre plot choices – the infamous “Alan” and the repetition of the lucky pack and dino poop ideas among them – and a failure to really develop anyone hamper an otherwise good time. The film also marked the first time the series made the cardinal sin of ousting the T-Rex as king of the jungle, introducing a Spinosaurus that, whilst featuring some terrifying practical effects, never clicked with fans. Still, try going more than a day after watching without inadvertently humming the “Kirby Paint and Tile Plus” jingle. Look out John Williams, you’ve got competition.

2. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

Universal Pictures, 1997

Often unfairly given a bad rap compared to its iconic predecessor, The Lost World is a fantastic sequel in its own right; one which expands the series’ scope and sets up some of the best set-pieces in the entire franchise. When John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) reveals to Ian Malcolm (Goldblum) the existence of a second dinosaur filled island and drops the bombshell that Malcolm’s own girlfriend, Sarah Harding (Julianne Moore) has been sent to survey the site, he jumps to the rescue, with a young Vince Vaughan in tow, no less. Once there the group must contend with a rival team sent to strip the island of the dinosaurs, alongside the usual carnivores, in a desperate bid for survival.

You could argue that the sudden existence of a second island is a cheap excuse for a sequel and that The Lost World is simply more of the same, but to do so would be to ignore how hard Spielberg tries to differentiate his sequel from the first film, shifting the action to San Diego for a fun monster movie-inspired sequence and furthering the commentary on animal rights and preservation. Goldblum cements his Ian Malcolm as the true star of the franchise, with his trademark snarky wit stepped up here along with a newfound paternal instinct for daughter Kelly (Vanessa Chester). He has something to lose this time around, and that makes for a much more interesting lead. The Lost World is Spielberg expanding on one of his greatest films with an adventure that shows him furthering his talents for tension and expertly crafted action; another gritty, in-the-weeds adventure that is a far cry from the sterilised banality and exhausting world ending stakes of the Jurassic World films.

1. Jurassic Park (1993)

Universal Pictures, 1993

It doesn’t matter how big or vicious subsequent films made the genetically modified dinosaurs, nothing can top the original that proved a less-is-more approached was the perfect way to capture the wonder and terror of dinosaurs brought back to life. The 1993 original introduced the world to Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill’s iconic scientists as they explore the recently developed Jurassic Park; created by the wealthy John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) who spared no expense in his quest to revive dinosaurs from their extinction.

Spielberg takes his time introducing even the concept of a dinosaur, let alone the teeth-filled carnage that follows, allowing the audience to form a connection with the group who venture out into the park before things go terribly wrong. It’s apparent to the audience that Spielberg is just as giddily excited to bring these creatures to life as we the audience are to see them, treating them with a reverence and wonder that bely the horrifying experiences set to befall our heroes.

And from the moment that T-Rex escapes its enclosure he is on a mission to deliver nothing but non-stop thrills as this unfortunate group is thrown into a desperate struggle for survival against nature’s most effective killing machines. Jurassic Park isn’t only a great stride forward for cinematic technology or a ferociously effective thriller; it’s also a pivotal event in the childhoods of so many movie-goers, a spectacle from a time when CGI was in its infancy and the thought of seeing a fully realised, realistic dinosaur on screen was pure fantasy. Leave it to none other than Steven Spielberg to make that fantasy a reality.

Categories
Ranked

RANKED – Scream

Arguably horror maestro Wes Craven’s greatest creation (A Nightmare on Elm Street not included), the Scream franchise has managed to become one of the most consistently fun and terrifying franchises within horror, largely thanks to its constant reinvention and clever commentary on the genre and the many clichés that populate it. With the fifth instalment of the Ghostface-fronted franchise hitting screens – the first without Craven behind the lens – we’re taking a trip down memory lane alongside Sydney, Dewie and Gale to bring you the definitive ranking of Scream.

5. Scream 3 (2000)

Dimension Films, 2000

While none of the Scream films are outright bad, Scream 3 suffers from its ambitions as a franchise redefining trilogy-capper, falling victim to the very trappings of similar horror sequels it seeks to lampoon. Setting the film amongst the bright lights of Hollywood – as Sydney (Neve Campbell), Gale (Courtney Cox) and Dewie (David Arquette) are drawn back into the fray to investigate a series of murders on the set of a film adapting the previous murders – allows for some fun meta moments and cameos, but the story strains believability at every turn; the final twist bastardising what has come before with needless backstory painfully delivered in an exposition heavy scene that robs the film of any remaining tension in order to justify itself.

Granted that doesn’t mean Scream 3 ever lacks energy, the usual lightning-quick pacing propelling you towards a needlessly elaborate albeit giddily fun final act as the remaining players are chased around a classic old Hollywood mansion complete with hidden doors and secret passageways. The kills themselves live up to the constant reminders of going for broke in the final instalment (even if it wouldn’t end up being it) but never feel as gruesome or realistic as earlier instalments; explosions and miraculously perfect voice recordings of all the key players replacing the stabbings and classic Roger L. Jackson Ghostface voice for the most part. And therein lies the film’s biggest problem: in trying to top itself it became the very thing it poked fun at, for better and for worse.

4. Scream (2022)

Paramount Pictures, 2022

The latest instalment finds fresh material to harvest as it sets its sights squarely on the toxic fandoms that have arisen within pop-culture alongside the surge in popularity for the “requel” – overall franchise reboots that include legacy characters to appeal to long-time fans. It’s a smart shift in the commentary that allows for the meta discussions within the film that the franchise has become known for whilst pushing into wider directions with the statement it makes, this time the film industry as a whole and the volatile online discourse created through channels like Twitter and Reddit. Without spoiling things, the eventual reveals – whilst not as out of left field as the other films – make for a hilariously over-the-top but effective point about the possessiveness of these hardcore fans; impossible to please and easy to incite into a rage.

Where things fall short are in new directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin’s need to make things feel like a Scream film, often at the expense of fleshing out the supporting cast of friends of Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega), the traditional opening scene victim who survives her attack (a first for the series), prompting sister Sam (Melissa Barrera) to return to Woodsboro, bringing with her some pivotal secrets. Often these lesser players are given nothing more than the obligatory suspect shots – the narrowing of the eyes and sideways glances – the usual red herrings that ensure the audience suspects everyone instead of one specific person, thus making for a lot of throwaway deaths that, while gleefully gory, don’t hold much weight. And sure, Arquette, Cox and Campbell don’t need to be here at all, but their presence is a welcome addition that satisfyingly closes their narratives and, if the franchise does choose to move forward, hopefully leaves them be. God knows they’ve been through enough.

3. Scream 4 (2011)

Dimension Films, 2011

Reinventing the franchise after 11 years away was never going to be an easy task, and yet Scream 4 never feels as if it skips a beat, with a hilarious opening montage spoofing the horror trends that have spawned in the interim signalling the return of Craven in fine form. The kills are some of the franchises best – particularly Anthony Anderson’s brutal demise – and instantly communicated to audiences that although the franchise might be older now, it has lost none of its potency. 4 also signalled a glorious return to form in its big twist killer reveal; a shocking revelation that subverts expectations and works as a perfect update on the killer’s motives for the time.

The best moments, however, come in the ways Craven has fun with his trinity of protagonists; Gale the frustrated creative forced into a life of boredom in the suburbs married to Dewey, now the sheriff of Woodsboro contending with his past back to haunt him and Sydney, now a writer, profiting off her past experiences in the same way as the Gale of old. This allows for some great moments of banter between the three as well as the new generation of teenagers forced to outlast Ghostface in their own digital-era ways. Emma Roberts is the standout here, a young girl trying to come into her own but held back by the shadow of her aunt Sydney and the effect her return has on her otherwise peaceful suburban life. A revitalisation of the franchise that never loses sight of the elements that fans know and love.

2. Scream 2 (1997)

Dimension Films, 1997

It might have seemed an impossible task to follow up such a monumental hit as Scream but screenwriter Kevin Williamson struck gold again with the first sequel that, despite the odd lapse in logic and some silly decision making by Sydney, manages to be just as much fun as the first, if slightly less fresh. Now a college student, Sydney is once again thrust back into the thick of it as fellow students are torn apart at a screening of Stab – an adaptation of the first film based on the in-universe book written by Gale Weathers – and a string of murders soon follow.

The fun here comes in how Craven deconstructs the idea of the sequel; how closely it should stick to the original and how the genre feels the need to one up itself with each subsequent instalment. Jamie Kennedy’s Randy once again takes centre stage, returning with another hilarious rant on the rules of sequels and the twists and turns that must occur to keep things from getting stale for the audience. More than most horror franchises, Scream’s long-lasting quality and popularity comes from the amount of characterisation given to the core cast and how attached to them we are as fans. Catching up with Campbell, Arquette and Cox’s characters after the traumatic events of the first film is simply a joy, with all three just as compelling as before in their back and forth. The kills are, as Randy suggests, bigger and bloodier than before and the final reveal plays with the original in such a fun way that makes 2 exactly what it says it is: simply a scream.

1. Scream (1996)

Dimension Films, 1996

Sydney Prescott herself justifies this placement perfectly with a single line from Scream 4: “Don’t fuck with the original”. It’s hard to accurately convey the importance of Wes Craven’s original film in revitalising the stale, waning sub-genre of slasher films; Kevin Williamson’s brilliant, insightful script a much-needed breath of fresh air that made audiences think and laugh about their favourite slasher films as much as fear them. The tried and tested template of teens slowly picked off by a masked killer is flipped on its head when the film proposes that the culprit may in fact be one of these vulnerable teens, throwing a whodunnit component into the mix that forces the characters and audience to question everyone, as well as who they imagine a killer to be within the genre.

Williamson’s meta commentary on the genre itself might just be Scream’s biggest contribution to horror and indeed pop-culture in general, prompting audiences to look more closely at the entertainment they consume in search of the patterns and those rare films and shows that defy the conventions. Craven’s callous disposal of Drew Barrymore’s Casey Becker in the opening scene – whom many believed to be the star of the film due to her popularity at the time – is a testament to this, setting the expectation that no one is safe and putting audiences on the edge of their seats. Neve Campbell launched herself into the public consciousness (alongside The Craft in the same year) as the final girl not to be messed with, a tragic figure who is forced to rise above her problems and, like the audience, question everyone around her in order to survive. Everyone is a suspect and Williamson gives everyone a hook, a reason to both love and suspect them, crafting a film where every kill has stakes and the only way to survive is to follow the rules.

Categories
Ranked

Top Ten Films of 2021

We can all agree that by and large 2021 was not a good year. Thankfully, in one aspect, particularly the movies, it was a rousing success. We had everything from terrifying horror films and boundary-pushing animation to heartstring-pulling dramas and top notch action flicks. After a year at the movies and at home glued to every streaming service under the sun we’ve come up with a list of our personal top ten films of the year. Granted we didn’t get a chance to see everything and while we recognise some films here have their problems, these are the ones that made us the happiest to escape to from the scourge that was 2021.

But first, some honourable mentions. Godzilla vs. Kong brought the long awaited earth-shaking showdown of Kaijus on the scale they truly deserved. Jungle Cruise was the spiritual successor to 1999’s The Mummy we never knew we needed, anchored by the terrific chemistry of Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. The Suicide Squad was the hilarious, action-packed retcon of the abysmal 2016 instalment that proves James Gunn a master of the superhero (or in this case antihero) film. Nobody created an unlikely action hero out of veteran character actor Bob Odenkirk; a quirky, white-knuckle thriller from the creators of John Wick. Finally, the well overdue screenwriting return of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, The Last Duel, proved a thrilling, at times harrowing follow-up; an awful subject matter told in a non-conventional, always engaging way.

10. King Richard

Warner Bros, 2021

Will Smith gives the performance of the year as the Williams’ patriarch; a deeply flawed yet deeply caring character who has carefully structured a plan to ensure his daughters dominate the game of tennis. Reinaldo Marcus Green’s film succeeds by focusing not on the successes of Venus and Serena throughout their competitive lives, but through its examination of the adversity and struggles they underwent to get where they are today. Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton quickly vault to the top of the pack as two of the most promising talents working today, but it’s Jon Bernthal who is the MVP supporting player, with an unusually quirky performance as coach-to-the-stars Rick Macci. An emotionally stirring sports biopic filled with heart, King Richard hits with all the force of a Williams’ sister serve.

9. Boiling Point

Ascendant Films, 2021

A kitchen caper that quickly moves beyond its one night in one location shot in one-take gimmick (no sneaky cuts here either, just one incredibly well choreographed 90 minute shoot) thanks to a carefully measured and constantly rising sense of tension, Boiling Point is, as well as an incredibly effective slow-burn thriller, a showcase for the talent that is Stephen Graham; a veteran English character actor who finally gets his time to shine here. Playing an overwhelmed chef on the busiest night of the year, Graham becomes superbly unhinged as problems are heaped on his shoulders, as a constantly roaming camera that moves from one disaster to the next contributes to a constant sensation that something is going to tip the scales here. When things do reach their peak and Graham self-destructs, it isn’t in a loud, overly melodramatic way, but a sad descent into the inevitable; a final gut wrenching piece of acting that cements Graham as a truly talented actor more than capable of carrying features like this.

8. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Marvel Studios, 2021

It’s not easy to break into a franchise as established as the MCU, but Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings manages to introduce martial arts to the long-running Marvel series and make it look easy, with director Destin Daniel Cretton delivering some of the most exhilarating hand-to-hand combat since The Winter Soldier. What really cements Shang-Chi as a top-tier origin story is the deeply tortured, unconventional father-son relationship at its heart, thanks in no small part to Hong Kong cinema legend Tony Leung as Shang’s father Wenwu. He gives a gut-wrenching performance as a man who has returned to a pursuit of power after the death of his wife, tarnishing the relationships with his children in the process and stopping at nothing to obtain the power to resurrect his true love. Wenwu is one of the few MCU villains with a genuinely compelling driving force behind him and Marvel’s first Asian-starring superhero film is all the richer for it, even if Simu Liu isn’t given the material he deserves in his debut.

7. No Time to Die

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), 2021

Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond was a far more poignant affair than most had expected; a typical thrilling, action packed blockbuster sure, but one that gave Bond (and by extension Craig) time to reflect on his legacy. Cary Joji Fukunaga’s film feels like such a satisfying conclusion for Craig; his genuinely compelling romance with Léa Seydoux’s Madeleine reflecting the shift in Bond from macho-man cliché of old to a flawed, fully formed person craving a quieter life with someone he loves. The combat is a return to the crunchy, gritty hand-to-hand combat of Casino Royale that gives every bout the sense of life or death stakes; brutally violent and dangerous for a Bond that has stepped away from the game for so long. While Rami Malek’s villain falls short of being impactful or compelling, No Time To Die succeeds as a giant, multi-million dollar ride off into the sunset for one of the greatest Bonds to do it. Whoever is up next will have a tough time dethroning Daniel Craig.

6. The Mitchells vs. the Machines

Sony Animation Studios, 2021

Phil Lord and Chris Miller continue to push the envelope when it comes to animation, following up Oscar-winner Into the Spider-Verse with the arguably even better The Mitchells vs. the Machines; a frenetic, endlessly entertaining apocalyptic family road trip. On a purely animation level there’s simply nothing else like the Mitchells, a vibrant and unique style that feels alive in the doodlings and cutaway gags that appear on-screen borne out of the mind of film-obsessed Katie Mitchell (Abbi Jacobson). That creative energy is in stark contrast to family patriarch Rick (Danny McBride), making for some heartwarming and emotionally shattering moments as Rick fails to understand his daughter’s interests, struggling to connect with her where once they were as thick as thieves. The Mitchells is also extremely funny, which should come as no surprise given the comedy all-star voice cast (alongside Jacobson and McBride are SNL alumni Beck Bennett, Fred Armisen and Maya Rudolph), delivering mile a minute laughs that perfectly complement the frantically-fast pace set by the constantly evolving animation. A step forward in animation that never forgets to have fun along the way.

5. Candyman

Universal Pictures, 2021

Reviving a decades-old horror franchise proved to be the right move for Nia DaCosta’s Candyman reboot/sequel, an atmospheric nightmare that creeps its way into your brain and sends shivers down your spine with each terrifying revelation into the mythology of Candyman. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II gives an unhinged performance as Anthony, a painter who feels a particularly sinister connection to the legend and its effects on the neighbouring Cabrini-Green projects, losing himself the further he investigates. Coming from Jordan Peele (co-written with DaCosta and Win Rosenfeld), it should be no surprise that Candyman packs a good amount of social commentary into its gentrification-focused horror but it never feels forced, with DaCosta letting the commentary flow from the situations that the characters find themselves in, rather than bombarding you with preaching messages. When things lean into the horror they do so with reckless abandon; a gory, balls-to-the-wall crazy finale capping everything off and reminding viewers why they shouldn’t be saying the Candyman’s name five times.

4. Dune

Warner Bros, 2021

Denis Villeneuve’s return to the world of sci-fi is nothing short of a masterpiece in big-budget filmmaking. A visual spectacle from start to finish, Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal novel about the political treachery and war between the Atreides and Harkonnen families for control of Spice (a precious mineral) amazingly never gets lost in the enormity of the source material, adapting a small portion of the books and doing it extremely well. Every planet is distinct, with production design that is, ahem, out of this world and Villeneuve uses scale to create some of the most jaw-droppingly impressive set-pieces in recent memory, whether that be the arrival of a giant sand-worm or the mass planetary evacuation of giant starships. At its core, Dune is a story about family legacy and with an all-star cast led by Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson that grounded, relatable story shines through the spectacle, immediately investing you in Paul Atreides’ plight. The only negative is that we have to wait two years for the next instalment!

3. Spider-Man: No Way Home

Marvel Studios, 2021

Not only did Tom Holland’s third Spider-Man film live up to the hype that had been heaped onto it in the months up to release, but it flew past it; delivering a dark, more mature outing that never took the focus off Peter whilst juggling fan service and a complex story involving returning villains from different Spidey franchises. Alfred Molina and Jamie Foxx are a ton of fun reprising their roles here, but it’s Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin that is the standout, the veteran actor slipping right back into where he left off in 2002, contorting his face to denote the different personalities at play in his head and bringing a chaotically evil energy to go up against Spider-Man’s youthful innocence. It’s the third act that truly cements No Way Home as a top-tier Spider-man film however, a rousing finale that brings together more than 20 years of on-screen history for a showdown that rivals Avengers: Endgame in terms of sheer unbelievable spectacle. If you haven’t seen it at this point, then you must be one of about three people – what are you doing?

2. Belfast

TKBC, 2021

A slice-of-life examination of a youth lost during the Troubles in Ireland in the late 60’s, Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical Belfast is a refreshingly intimate film from the usual blockbusters he directs. We follow young Buddy (Jude Hill) as he navigates the everyday problems associated with school and crushes, whilst struggling to comprehend the riots and political upheaval that have his mother (Caitriona Balfe), father (Jamie Dornan) and grandparents (Judi Dench & Ciarán Hinds) so shaken. As uplifting as it is harrowing at times, Branagh strikes the perfect balance between the childlike wonder which Buddy (Jude Hill) views the world through and the shocking realities of the uprising happening around the young boy, harsh lessons he must learn at an age far too young to truly comprehend them. But it’s the exploration of the people around Buddy, his family and friends that make Belfast such a special film; a celebration of Irish spirit, the collective humour of the place and the struggles that the people have gone through. Branagh’s best work in years.

1. Malignant

New Line Cinema, 2021

The best film of 2021 also might be its weirdest; a shocking departure from James Wan’s usual horror efforts that makes for one of the most refreshing, off-the-walls crazy films you can experience this year. What could be mistaken for another Conjuring or Insidious instalment from Wan takes a dramatic turn in the third act, with a reveal you won’t see coming that completely changes the tone and outcome of the film. That might sound like a jarring shift but Wan pulls it off so masterfully, slowly building up the tension of the events unfolding around Madison (Annabelle Wallis) through his usual carefully controlled scares and atmosphere of pitch-black dread that that twist feels like a relief, a punctuation of camp amidst reminiscent of 70’s giallo horror. This bold embrace of the weird combined with the tried and tested Wan-ism’s might not be to everyone’s taste, but there’s one thing you can’t argue: you’ve never seen anything like Malignant before.

Categories
Ranked

RANKED – The Matrix

Often held up as one of the hallmarks of the sci-fi genre, Lana and Lily Wachowski’s Matrix franchise has a long and complicated past: a universally loved and acclaimed original offering giving way to some of the most divisive sequels in film history; adored and staunchly defended by their fans and reviled by those that didn’t fully gel with the future-looking CGI spectacle. With the series making a long overdue return with Resurrections we thought we’d revisit the world of Neo, Trinity and Morpheus, ranking each instalment from the worst to the (some might say obviously) best. Now pop a red pill and let’s get into it…

5. The Matrix Revolutions (2003)

Village Roadshow Pictures, 2003

What should have been the epic franchise’s big finale ends up a bloated mess of a film with Revolutions, largely due to the shift in focus from Neo’s (Keanu Reeves) adventures to the maddeningly uninteresting battle for Zion. In theory, giant mechs going toe to toe with robotic squids sounds like it should be a spectacle for the ages, but after the inventiveness of the scenes within the Matrix the Wachowski’s seem content to rest on their laurels; filling the bland background of Zion with dull, confusing firefights that never seem to end despite the machines obvious dominance. This is also about 80% of the entire two hour runtime and for a final film with as much confusion to wrap up as the Matrix that makes for a frustrating time.

It also means that Neo’s storyline feels extremely rushed, the big cliffhanger of his whereabouts from Reloaded resolved so swiftly it begs the question why it needed to even happen in the first place. The rain soaked showdown between Neo and Smith is entertaining, even if the strobe light effect is borderline seizure inducing, and serves as a satisfying conclusion to such an intense rivalry. But the blinding of Neo and his subsequent transformation into pure light are strange twists to say the least, albeit somewhat expected at this point in the franchise given what the Wachowski’s have shown us. Still, if it means getting away from Zion and back to the Matrix for a few whacky minutes, then bring it on.

4. The Animatrix (2003)

Warner Bros. Animation, 2003

While it may seem like an obvious expansion of the story now, The Animatrix was an unusual concept back in 2003. Give a bunch of Japanese animation studios free reign to create a series of nine short films set within the Matrix universe and see what they come up with (a premise mimicked to brilliant effect with this year’s Star Wars: Visions). The result is a mixture of some of the best storytelling in the franchise since the original film and at its worst, stories that are simply boring. Everything from the origins of the machine uprising to a noir detective story featuring Carrie-Anne Moss’ Trinity is explored and whilst the stories don’t amount to much in terms of furthering the overarching storyline of the main series, they do offer a tantalising glimpse into the Matrix outside of Neo, and all the weird and wonderful places that premise can journey to.

The animation is consistently gorgeous and even in those less interesting stories there is always a positive to be found, whether that be a gorgeous, fully CGI sword-fight scene or the unusually depraved, disgustingly violent sight of a robot ripping a brain from a skull (not positive obviously but tell me how many other animations you’ve seen that have done that). Overall it’s the element of fun and strangeness that makes the Animatrix a success; where the films got lost in an overly serious narrative of choice and chosen ones, these stories are simply able to experiment and have fun with the universe, often finding humour in it and, as the series is known for, producing some truly awesome fight sequences.

3. The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

Village Roadshow Pictures, 2021

Almost twenty years after the trilogy ended, this return to the Matrix doesn’t exactly feel necessary, with Lana Wachowski’s scorn for the current state of the entertainment industry overshadowing the actual story being told, but it is a mostly fun return to this world which thankfully doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously. With Neo once again trapped within the Matrix and struggling to tell the real from the programmed, the task falls on a new crew of survivors – led by Jessica Henwick’s Bugs and a reincarnated Morpheus (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) – to spring the Chosen One from his digital prison and launch a desperate rescue mission to free Trinity.

Wachowski’s commentary quickly grows tiring, but it is her willingness to embrace humour which the franchise had previously avoided that makes Resurrections such an enjoyable ride. The story isn’t as needly complex as the other sequels – essentially boiling down to a series of rescue missions – and this makes for a far more digestible film; we can sit back and watch Neo kick the crap out of the bad guys without worrying whether the choices he is making are affecting some larger, constrictive prophecy. Where it falls short of the rest of the franchise is in the action; the finely choreographed fight scenes of the earlier films replaced by the quick-cut action of the modern blockbusters Wachowski seeks to lampoon. The point is made but a bit of the old kung-fu Neo specifically points out he still knows wouldn’t have gone astray.

2. The Matrix Reloaded (2003)

Village Roadshow Pictures, 2003

The first of the sequels makes tremendous leaps both forward and backwards for the franchise. From a technical perspective the Wachowski’s were at the forefront of the early 2000’s push towards CGI, making for some bold, innovative action set-pieces that could not have been previously done. Now, watching these films in 2021 that CGI doesn’t hold up all that well, just look at the video-game looking confrontation between Neo and the endless Agent Smiths (Hugo Weaving), but the Wachowski’s certainly get points for trying. The highway chase sequence however is quite possibly the most highly regarded sequence of all the Matrix sequels and for good reason; it is a genuinely edge of your seat thrill ride that doesn’t take its foot off the gas (see what I did there) for a single second, hokey CGI be damned.

Where the series starts its steady decline is in the story department. There are some seriously huge leaps in storytelling and logic being thrown at the viewer and it all feels so rushed, with new characters and concepts introduced in almost every scene without being properly explained. None of it truly coalesces into anything other than a minor wrinkle in Neo’s journey towards realising his potential as the Chosen One, with a constant “is he or isn’t he” plot line never fooling the audience for a minute and distracting from the already confusing main story. He’s Keanu Reeves, of course he’s the one. This is also the film that introduces the concept of Zion and the franchise’s most dull side-story. For the last remnants of humanity it sure is a visually bland and boring place; hell even the machines get down with some funky strobe lights from time to time. No amount of dance party orgies can make you care about Zion, and Revolutions only serves to further highlight how utterly not compelling that storyline is.

1. The Matrix (1999)

Village Roadshow Pictures, 1999

No matter how weird the Wachowski’s took the franchise in an effort to top themselves, the original Matrix remains the best and a defining piece of sci-fi action cinema. The introduction to this dystopian cyberpunk world of chosen heroes and machine uprisings takes its time drip-feeding you the extensive word-building it lays out, taking full advantage of Neo as the audience surrogate rather than the all-powerful Messiah figure he becomes and having fun with his training. The “I know kung-fu” sequence remains a series high-point – a thrilling introduction to the action that would forever change the genre – and the climactic subway fight scene is a spellbindingly tight, spectacularly choreographed edge-of-your-seat sequence that feels gritty and high stakes unlike most of the CGI spectacle that followed.

Indeed this feels like one of the few times the series is ever truly accessible; the narrative is streamlined, the rules of the world are easily understood and you genuinely feel for Reeves’ protagonist, an everyman thrown into the deep end and forced to swim. Carrie-Anne Moss is effortlessly cool in her introduction as Trinity, even if her relationship with Neo doesn’t feel entirely earned and Lawrence Fishburne’s Morpheus is the perfect guide to shepherd us through through the confusion; a comfortably reassuring and suave presence disguising a man desperate for something to believe in. An awe-inspiring introduction to what would become one of the most influential and divisive sci-fi franchises of all time.

Categories
Ranked

RANKED – Daniel Craig Bond Films

The seventh actor to play the iconic 007, Daniel Craig has cemented himself as one of the greatest over the course of 5 films. Borne of a post-Bourne era of action films, Craig’s contributions to the franchise feel completely different from what has come before; less focused on the gadgetry and gaudy cars and more so on no-holds-barred action and a deconstruction of what makes James Bond tick as a person, rather than the mythical, infallible spy of decades prior. With his final turn as the super spy No Time to Die hitting cinemas, we’ve assembled the definitive ranking of Craig’s Bond films, as well as a little something about each film’s theme song, arguably as important to the franchise as a shaken, not stirred martini. Let’s get into it.

5. Quantum of Solace (2008)

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), 2008

Quantum of Solace is a perfect example of why you don’t make a movie without a script. Notoriously rewritten as shooting was underway, Craig’s second outing as 007 is for the most part a confusing mess. Picking up straight after Casino Royale and following Bond as he attempts to unearth the organisation responsible for Vesper’s (Eva Green) death – Quantum – the film struggles to find a story worth telling; constantly referencing Vesper and Bond’s attachment to her but never furthering that exploration of character.

There’s a vaguely investing storyline involving Olga Kurylenko’s Camille exacting revenge on a corrupt colonel that wronged her family and the film sets the board effectively for Quantum to eventually morph into the iconic Bond organisation Spectre, but nothing that invests you in Craig’s portrayal of Bond any more than the phenomenal groundwork laid by Casino Royale. Still that opening fifteen minutes is something else; a visceral, pulse-pounding spectacle that the film never manages to top.

Theme Song: Another Way to Die – Jack White and Alicia Keys is a pairing almost as confusing as the film’s script, but somehow the warring sounds of White’s grungy guitar and Key’s silky piano come together to form a theme song that is incredibly rousing and energetic, even if it isn’t the most memorable.

4. Spectre (2015)

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), 2015

Sam Mendes’ second Bond outing, Spectre marked a shift in the Craig films, embracing the franchises storied history where it had previously been largely ignored in favour of a gritty realism. That meant more gadgets, a more cocksure, smarmier Bond than ever and the introduction of Christoph Waltz’ Blofeld, leader of Spectre. When it works it works well, but more often than not Spectre crumbles under the weight of everything it is trying to accomplish, unsure of the tone it is trying to establish and resulting in the rare Bond film that feels strangely anaemic and bereft of excitement, even during huge set-pieces.

The way Mendes ties Spectre into Bond’s history – all 3 previous film’s villains were on his payroll – is interesting and certainly adds instant weight to the threat of Blofeld, but doesn’t do much to change the fact that Bond is still carving his way through an endless supply of henchmen, none of whom feel particularly more dangerous thanks to the Spectre moniker. The exception here is Dave Bautista’s Hinx; a physically imposing mountain of a man that is easily the best right-hand man of any of Craig era villain and who makes for some downright brutal hand-to-hand fight scenes.

Theme: Writing’s on the Wall – The sweeping orchestral hook in Sam Smith’s Bond contribution is incredible, rightly forming a major backbone of the rest of the film’s score. The rest of the song is an appropriately smokey, hazy trip through elements of Bond’s character that hint at the spectre (see what I did there?) of death looming large in the form of Blofeld.

3. No Time to Die (2021)

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), 2021

Craig’s final outing as Bond might not send him out on as high a note as he deserves but it is nonetheless a thrilling, emotionally compelling ending to James’ story. After a failed attempt on his life leaves James questioning the loyalty of lover Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), he retreats from the world for 5 years, only reentering for a chance at eradicate Spectre once and for all. The pivot from Spectre – the be all and end all of Bond foes and throughout Spectre very much built up as the end of the road – to an underwhelming new villain, Rami Malek’s Safin, doesn’t exactly feel organic, but given the (at one time) finality of Spectre, you can’t give director Cary Joji Fukunaga too much trouble for the attempt.

Other than that and a few hiccups in the humour department, everything else about the film is peak Bond. Chunky, hard-hitting fist fights bring the action back to the intimate level of Casino Royale and the relationship between Swann and Bond gives the film an unexpectedly emotional core; one that allows Fukunaga to reflect on the character of Bond and just how much he has changed from machismo cliché to a flawed, fully formed person craving an exit from his life of loneliness under Craig’s guidance.

Theme: No Time to Die – Like Adele before her, Billie Eilish’s skyrocketing career perfectly intersected with Bond, and her talents are put to good use here with an ominous, sombre piece that feels appropriate to wind down Craig’s tenure as 007. Like the film, it isn’t the best song to come out of Craig’s run but it is a solid addition to the playlist nevertheless.

2. Skyfall (2012)

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), 2012

Skyfall is neck and neck for the number one spot here, a beautifully shot deconstruction of the character of Bond and the loyalty he holds for his country and M (Judi Dench). After a mission goes awry and Bond is presumed dead, MI6 is thrust into chaos when the identities of all undercover agents are threatened to be leaked by Silva (Javier Bardem), a former agent himself with close ties to M. Forced to reenter the fray, Bond more than meets his match in Silva – a spy of the same vintage from a different time – forcing him to confront his own demons in order to come out on top.

Sam Mendes brings such a rollicking pace to proceedings – beginning with a white-knuckle chase that moves from foot to motorcycle to train – and doesn’t stop until the credits roll; always beautifully shot (the Shanghai fight) and laser focused on Bond in a way that Spectre isn’t, favouring spectacle over how the action affects the character. And that character is a far cry from his youthful, energetic debut. This is a beaten down, ageing Bond that struggles to get back into the swing of things. The charming taste for vodka martini’s has turned into an almost crippling alcohol addiction and the swagger and bravado has turned to world-weariness. This is where Skyfall truly earns its place; in going beyond those surface level Bond tropes and looking at the man beneath, what is important to him and why he does what he does. The result is a touching, breakneck rollercoaster only narrowly beaten out by…

Theme: Skyfall – The undisputed best theme of Craig’s Bond filmography, Skyfall is a throwback to classic Bond songs; a grand, foreboding opus that slowly builds to a catchy, instantly recognisable hook that has yet to be passed since. It says a lot that the song also ranks among Adele’s best, a superstar performer who has an extensive body of fantastic work behind her.

1. Casino Royale (2006)

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), 2006

It’s hard to imagine a time when Daniel Craig wasn’t universally praised as 007, but back in 2006 he was anything but the favourite choice to take on the role. That might be that little extra push that nudges Casino Royale past Skyfall into the number one position: how massively it overcomes the hurdle of audience expectations. Within minutes you’re sucked into this grounded, post-Bourne retelling of Bond’s rise to 00 status. Gone are the shiny trinkets and cheesy ice cap melting plots of Pierce Brosnan’s heyday, replaced with brutal bare-knuckle brawls and a not confident, but cocky Bond, eager to prove himself and earn respect. It’s a refreshing lens through which to view a cinematic hero as storied as Bond, especially the fresh take on his romantic relationship with Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), the result of which inches him that little bit further towards becoming the James Bond we know.

Chronicling his first mission with the infamous licence to kill, freshly instated 007 finds himself hot on the trail of Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) – a financier for terrorist cells around the world – leading him to a high-stakes poker game in Montenegro, where Bond must keep his wits sharp if he is to survive the game and its deadly outcome. Mikkelsen’s Le Chiffre is the series’ best villain, a conniving, unscrupulous weasel of a man who plays the part of arch-villain well, but is really on the hook to those more frightening men financing his lifestyle. A Bond villain doesn’t get more menacing than a man who cries blood, yet Le Chiffre isn’t defined by this scary idiosyncrasy; a snivelling, scared man who has bitten off more than he can chew but must act the part if he hopes to survive his predicament.

The action similarly feels layered, only there where it furthers the story of Bond. Luckily for audiences, Bond is a particularly violent man and that means the action flows steadily throughout; a flurry of close-quarters encounters that Bond scrapes through by the skin of his teeth more often than not. That inexperience creates for some fascinating interactions between Bond and series staples like M (Judi Dench); unusually terse and tense scoldings that perfectly stage the adoptive mother-son relationship so brilliantly built upon in Skyfall. The poker scenes drip with tension; full of long, drawn out shots that have the audience looking for tells in the same way as Bond, before director Martin Campbell whips us away to a brutal staircase fight-scene and back to the table; exhausted and overstimulated in the same way as Bond. This is all after Campbell and Craig had silenced the doubters with the most thrilling action sequence of all 25 films: a frantic scramble through construction yards and up cranes that firmly established Daniel Craig as a new kind of Bond. James Bond.

Theme: You Know My Name – What better way to signal a shift in direction for the franchise than with the deafening guitar riffs from Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell. The veteran rocker goes all out, with a soaring orchestral support backing up an already exhilarating hook. The perfect introduction musically to a totally different kind of Bond.

Categories
Ranked

RANKED – Halloween

One of the most well known franchises in all of horror, Halloween has had something of a rocky history on its way to resurgence with 2018’s fantastic reboot. There’s been a robot army spin-off, Busta Rhymes karate kicking Michael Myers through a window, hell the big man has even survived a run-in with the also never ageing Paul Rudd. Even in Michael’s worst outings (and there are more than a few) there is some fun to be had, and we’re taking a look back through the entire 40 plus year history of films. Now cue the Carpenter score and let’s begin.

12. Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

Universal Pictures, 1982

After an unsuccessful follow-up to the original behemoth, the creatives behind the Halloween franchise took a completely left turn for the third entry, leaving Michael Myers and the town of Haddonfield squarely in the rearview mirror. In its place we’re left with a strange sci-fi story involving cursed children’s Halloween masks that transform the wearers heads into pest infested pumpkins when a certain television commercial is aired. Now while that might sound like a “so bad it’s good” situation, the final result is anything but; an intensely boring, painfully slow sequel with little to keep you invested in a frustratingly uninspired mystery.

When her father is mysteriously killed in a hospital and the assailant sets himself alight, his daughter Ellie (Stacey Nelkin) teams up with doctor Daniel Challis (Tom Atkins) to investigate the circumstances of the death, leading them to the small Irish town of Santa Mira, home of mask manufacturer Silver Shamrock Novelties and its shadowy boss Conal Cochran (Dan O’Herlihy). It takes the film about half of its runtime to even get us to Santa Mira, wasting its time setting up an uncomfortable dynamic between Challis and his ex-wife (played by original Halloween actress Nancy Kyes), which the film feels allows him to be an unrestrained creep for the rest of the film, hitting on any woman that moves before ending up with Ellie, a romantic entanglement that has zero set-up. Michael Myers may not have impressed with his second outing, but even his victims corpses have more life in them than this mess

11. Halloween: Resurrection (2002)

Dimension Films, 2002

A lot of the Halloween films feel dated now, after all the franchise began all the way back in 1978, but none show their age as much as the abysmal Resurrection, the premise of which revolves around a group of fame hungry people locked inside the abandoned Myers house and rigged with cameras in some awful spoof of the reality TV craze of the early 2000’s. Complete with Tyra Banks and Busta Rhymes. Also Busta Rhymes roundhouse kicks Michael (Brad Loree) through a window. This isn’t a joke.

What makes it all so much worse is the absolute cheat that is the marketing, with posters and trailers promising the return of Laurie Strode, only to see Jamie Lee Curtis’s iconic character dispatched within the first 10 minutes. None of the other characters manage to make any meaningful impact (apart from Busta of course) and Michael is once again neutered as a villain; seeing him strung upside down flailing for his life and kicked through windows takes the edge of a killer known for his immovable strength. Despite all this, the movie still manages to muster enough entertainingly awful moments to keep you from boredom, something that the objectively better made Season of the Witch lacks.

10. Halloween II (2009)

Dimension Films, 2009

If the first film was proof he could adapt the iconic original, then Rob Zombie’s second instalment is him completely let loose, full of over-the-top violence and a visually dirty palette. Picking up years after Michael’s (Tyler Mane) initial terrorising of Laurie (Scout Taylor-Compton) – after a needlessly gory, elaborate 30 minute dream sequence – we find her struggling with survivors guilt, pushing away adopted father Sheriff Brackett (Brad Dourif) and sister Annie (Danielle Harris). We know she’s not doing well because Laurie spends most of her screen time inexplicably screaming whilst the camera violently shakes and her character has shifted so violently to allow her to hang around the disgusting characters Zombie favours so much because it plays into his wheelhouse.

So extreme is the shift that Halloween II feels like a sequel to one of Zombie’s other films like House of 1000 Corpses or The Devil’s Rejects with Michael simply shoehorned in as a murder machine. It’s the most needlessly violent film in the franchise by a mile, as he decapitates, stabs and eye gouges his way through a washed out, grey looking Haddonfield; a fugitive on the lam running into almost everyone in the county if it means Zombie can extract some more bloodshed. Then there’s the bizarre sub-plot of Michael’s mother (Sheri Moon Zombie) reappearing in dream sequences with a white horse to guide Michael to Laurie – a way for Zombie to keep working with his wife maybe? A dreadful sequel that is so utterly uninterested with furthering the Halloween franchise that the iconic score isn’t even used until the second half of the credits.

9. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)

Magnum Pictures, 1989

A direct continuation of 1988’s Return of Michael Myers, Revenge picks up with a bullet-riddled Michael (Don Shanks) miraculously floating downriver and being taken in and nursed back to health by a kindly stranger… before promptly murdering him and resuming the hunt for Jamie (Daniella Harris), the now mute daughter of Laurie Strode. Jamie’s brutal murder of her stepmother at the end of the previous film is conveniently forgotten and with adopted sister Rachel’s (Ellie Cornell) early death ridding the film of any carried over emotional investment; the weight of the film collapses around her, with a terrible supporting cast providing little assistance.

Donald Pleasence is now a caricature of the ominous psychiatrist from the Carpenter helmed original, violently shaking the little girl and commanding she use her randomly acquired uncle-niece psychic connection to lead him to Michael so that he can end the evil once and for all. It’s a brief respite of unintentional levity amongst forgettable kills, godawful writing and a now boringly unstoppable Michael, who completes his transformation from escaped mental patient to full on Superman, happily shaking off bullets and explosions in his unquenchable bloodlust. The only thing that seems to put a stop to his onslaught? A simple latch that completely stumps poor Michael, prompting him to rip the entire door off in a fit of architecturally challenged rage. We’ve all been there.

8. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)

Trancas International Films, 1988

Following the dismal Season of the Witch, Michael Myers (George P. Wilbur) returned (see what I did there?) to Haddonfield in 1988 with a brand new mask and renewed bloodlust; the film wasting no time getting to the carnage as Michael’s demise at the hands of Loomis in Halloween II is quickly retconned and he breaks out of the sanitarium in suitably gruesome fashion. From here we follow Jamie (Daniella Harris) the daughter of the now (assumedly) dead Laurie Strode and her adopted sister Rachel (Ellie Cornell) as they attempt to navigate a typical Halloween of trick or treating and boy trouble before being alerted to Michael’s presence by the hilariously unhinged Loomis (Donald Pleasence).

While it starts strong, the film strangely chooses to constantly show Michael in awkward spots. Whether that be awkwardly scrambling onto a rooftop or bumbling, nothing takes the wind out of your spooky sails quite like watching a now middle-aged Michael catch his breath partway through a chase… until he rips a man’s throat clean out with one hand. The wacky tone continues right until the very last scene, with the young Jamie suddenly tapping into some dormant killer genes from her uncle, recreating young Michael’s first kill complete with bloody clown outfit, while a horrified Loomis looks on screaming “No!” for what you can only assume was well after the director yelled “Cut!”. Hilariously bad fun in all the ways that Season of the Witch should have been.

7. Halloween (2007)

Dimension Films, 2007

You don’t hire Rob Zombie for a carefully nuanced trip through Haddonfield. You hire him to deliver the bloodiest, grizzliest take on Michael Myers (Mane) to date; a film made to take you into the mind and world of Myers like none that had come before in the most disgusting, horrifying to watch way possible. And he delivers on that promise… eventually. So much of Zombie’s reimagining of Carpenter’s classic is spent explaining and that is its downfall. Audiences never needed to know why Michael was mute or learn about his horrifically abusive upbringing and terrible home life for him to be terrifying.

Yet Zombie seems obsessed with exploring every minor detail that could serve to give motivation to Myer’s killings; effectively making a sympathetic character out of him (to a degree); a victim of circumstance who finally succumbed to the darkness around him. It’s an admittedly interesting take on what exactly makes a psychopath tick, it just isn’t right for the character of Michael Myers. When it comes time to deliver on the “reboot” of it all and trace Michael’s hunt for Laurie (Scout Taylor-Compton), Zombie has exhausted all of the new he wants to bring to the table, producing an incredibly dull second half that devolves into repetitive hide-and-seek antics with the odd gory kill here and there. All meaningless when we don’t know or care at all about Laurie or her friends.

6. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)

Miramax, 1995

The end of the “Thorn Trilogy” The Curse of Michael Myers is a curious entry in the Halloween cannon. Things certainly get off to a good start, establishing Laurie Strode’s babysitting charge from the original film Tommy Doyle as the protagonist (played by a young Paul Rudd in one of his first roles), haunted by his experience and obsessed with discovering what drives Michael’s (Wilbur) bloodlust. He is soon drawn back into the nightmare when he discovers the abandoned newborn child of Jamie (J.C. Brandy), who has escaped from the strange cult that have held her captive for 6 years only to meet her own gruesome end. Teaming up with a now retired Loomis (Pleasence in his last outing), the pair race to protect the last of the Myer’s bloodline from Michael’s wrath: Laurie’s adopted cousin Kara (Marianne Hagan) and her son Danny (Devin Gardner).

For every step the film takes towards restoring the franchise to the height of the original – the small town setting, Michael’s slow burn stalking, Alan Howarth’s renewed use of Carpenter’s score – it also takes one back by doing what every good sequel does: completely ruining the fun through over-explanation. Michael’s motivations go from a deranged killer to a demonically possessed conduit of literal evil who was selected as a child by the same cult that has kidnapped Jamie. There are gross indications that Jamie’s kid might be Michael’s (the franchise was always missing the fun of incest), a bizarre subplot to have Loomis take over the role as leader of the cult and Danny’s unexplained psychic chats with a demon, but thanks to Paul Rudd and Pleasence’s toned down performance it manages to be more memorable than the previous two entries. Far easier to enjoy now knowing that the trilogy was wiped from the timeline with the release of H20: no harm done.

5. Halloween II (1981)

Universal Pictures, 1981

How do you improve upon a genre-defining classic like the original Halloween? Well, in Halloween II’s case the answer seems to be “more of the same”, as Michael (Dick Warlock) is revealed to have survived the events of the first film, hellbent on finishing off the only survivor: Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). Despite Carpenter’s continued involvement (he returned to co-write the script and co-compose the score), you feel his lack of direction in almost every scene; none of the tension of the original stalkings returns, replaced by cheap jump scares and a higher body count of utterly undeveloped fodder characters.

The shift in location to the local hospital does admittedly provide for some interesting variations on Michael’s usual methods – a nonsensical scalding hot hospital tub and a slow-burn syringe stabbing being two particular highlights – but having this titan of horror fooled by the sound of gas leaking is a unique way to completely neuter your killer in only his second appearance (in addition to inexplicably making him Laurie’s long-lost brother). Thankfully there is some fun to be found thanks to a gleefully deranged performance by Donald Pleasence as psychiatrist Sam Loomis; shouting completely serious nonsense like “You don’t know what death is” and somehow managing to maintain a straight face. Kudos also to Jamie Lee Curtis’ shift in portraying Laurie Strode, ridden with PTSD after her traumatic first run-in with Michael and unable to do much for majority of the film, it is nonetheless a great performance that, in a film full of brash hilarity, feels like a genuine response to the events unfolding.

4. Halloween Kills (2021)

Blumhouse Productions, 2021

Picking up right where things left off in 2018, Halloween Kills continues the story of Laurie (Curtis) – now bed-ridden in hospital – and her daughter (Judy Greer) and granddaughter (Andi Matichak) as they regroup to take on Michael (James Jude Courtney) after learning of his survival. The story expands to the other survivors of the 1978 attack, widening the circle of heroes to include Anthony Michael Hall’s Tommy Doyle among others as the town mobilises to protect themselves, risking their own humanity in the process. Meanwhile the man himself is carving a bloody path through Haddonfield towards a climactic showdown with enemies new and old.

Halloween Kills suffers from being the middle instalment in a planned trilogy, with less development and significantly lower stakes than its 2018 predecessor. Nevertheless the film more than lives up to its name by crafting some of the goriest, most intense kills in the franchise, delivered by a Michael Myers who has now begun to transcend into un-killable, more-than-human territory. There are interesting strides made on the story-side of things too, as writer-director David Gordon Green subverts expectations and suggests that Michael’s rampage might not actually be tied to Laurie (a breath of fresh air for a franchise historically obsessed with their connection) but it ultimately feels incomplete without the final film to tie everything together; a gruesome piece of filler on the way to a (hopefully) more satisfying conclusion.

3. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)

Dimension Films, 1998

The combination of Jamie Lee Curtis’ return and the recent success of fellow slasher Scream proved the shot in the arm Halloween needed so desperately needed to revitalise itself, discarding films 3-6 and picking up 20 years following the “death” of Michael (Chris Durand) in the hospital (cleverly conveyed through the reuse of that film’s anthem “Mr. Sandman”). Laurie (Curtis), now headmistress of a private school and living under the name Keri Tate, has been permanently scarred by the events of 1978, leading her to become an overprotective mother to rebellious teenage son John (Josh Hartnett). When Michael returns for revenge on his sister and nephew, Laurie must finally confront the demon from her past once and for all.

The influence from Scream is immediately felt through the Drew Barrymore-esque appearance of Joseph Gordon-Levitt – who is promptly murdered with an ice skate – but extends to the constantly quipping cast of friends that John surrounds himself with and the frequent meta references to the franchise’s history. Along with the (mostly) inventive kills it makes for an incredibly fun return to the story of the Strode’s, free of the complicated lore of earlier entries and with a great performance (as usual) from Curtis, who brings new layers to a more forceful portrayal of Laurie: a final girl turned final woman for the ages.

2. Halloween (2018)

Blumhouse Productions, 2018

Of all the Halloween sequels, David Gordon Green’s soft reboot/sequel is the only one to recapture the tone and characters while creating genuine fear towards Michael Myers (Courtney). So it’s a good thing then that the story ignores all the sequels and reboots, taking place 40 years after the original and focusing on Laurie (Curtis), her daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak). There’s endless dramatic tension and emotional depth to be mined from the complicated relationship between these three women, all affected by the actions of Michael in different ways and at odds with one another about how best to move forward. It feels truly great again to have Curtis back in the lead, and although we’ve seen her tackle the PTSD ridden survivor Laurie before, this time it feels more genuine; a fascinating and relevant story of a woman taking back her life.

As for Michael, he is as terrifying as ever and Green wisely utilises a slow burn approach to build that fear back up, focusing on the legacy of the man and the carnage he carried out in 1978. When the kills do start flowing, they are suitably gruesome (without the needless gore of the Rob Zombie films) and effective in conveying the pure strength and immovability of this murder machine – no stumbling, bumbling Michael here, he is all business. Carpenter’s return to the score also lends a huge helping hand in revitalising the franchise; delivering a revamped version of his iconic theme that is familiar but feels darker and heavier, perhaps indicative of the hatred bubbling away in Laurie for all these years. A perfect start to a new chapter in Michael’s history.

1. Halloween (1978)

Compass International Pictures, 1978

Was there any doubt? Just about every aspect of John Carpenter’s Halloween cements it as a cinematic horror classic, from the introduction of Michael Myers (Tony Moran) and ultimate scream-queen Jamie Lee Curtis to the instantly recognisable score from Carpenter himself. Laurie Strode’s (Curtis) first encounter with evil itself is still the franchises’ high point, revolutionary in its chilling depiction of Myer’s relentless stalking which boils over into a bloodbath. Opting for a less is more approach, Carpenter rarely allows Michael to be seen, utilising shadows and other obstacles to obscure him and create the constant sense of dread that he could be lingering. One minute Laurie spots him ogling her from afar, when she looks back he is gone.

The only insight we get into the killer himself comes from a horrific point-of-view sequence that puts us in the shoes of a young Michael during his first murder, an inventive sequence that pulls the rug out under the audience by revealing the killer to be a fresh-faced six year-old Michael. Sure, there are gorier and more intense slashers that have released since, but Halloween is the defining titan, popularising the genre and providing the blueprint for everything from A Nightmare on Elm Street to Friday the 13th.

Categories
Ranked TV & Streaming Reviews

RANKED – Star Wars: Visions

Lucasfilm, 2021

Star Wars is in a strange place at the moment. One of the biggest film franchises of all time, the series has seen its movie endeavours come to a temporary halt after the disappointment of 2019’s sequel trilogy-capper The Rise of Skywalker, whilst its efforts in other mediums like The Mandalorian and video game Jedi: Fallen Order show that fans are desperate for more galactic adventures that feel different and take advantage of everything the wider world of Star Wars has to offer.

Disney+’s latest offering, Visions might just be the property’s most out-there Star Wars content to date, handing the treasured reigns over to seven Japanese animation studios and tasking them with crafting unique stories in the galaxy far, far away. The results are largely successful, with striking animation across the board drawing from all corners of classic to modern stylings, emotional, impactful stories and some of the best interpretations of those classic Star Wars elements since the original trilogy.

Rather than review the series as a whole, we’ve decided to tackle each episode individually, ultimately ranking them. Whilst you should definitely watch the entire show if you have the chance, if you are short on time or just looking to dip your toe into these anime interpretations of Star Wars then this is the way.

9. The Village Bride

Lucasfilm, 2021

While none of the Visions episodes are bad, The Village Bride is the least successful in coalescing its myriad of big ideas into something that works both as a story and an expansion of the Star Wars universe. Following rogue Jedi, F (Karen Fukuhara) who finds herself in the middle of a small village where tradition dictates a young girl must be handed over to separatist warlords as a protection payment, the episode simply tries to juggle too much; throwing cross-cultural commentary and an examination of nature on top of an otherwise unsurprising story.

Fukuhara tries her best to instill some life into proceedings through her voice work and there are attempts to flesh out F’s backstory but the character is too bland to win us over; the supporting characters too familiar and the story too safe to elicit much of a response from the audience.

8. T0-B1

Lucasfilm, 2021

On its face T0-B1 may appear eerily similar to Japanese cartoon icon Astro Boy, sporting a similarly stunning style of animation and a very child-friendly tone – almost like a Chibi version of Luke Skywalker. Couple this with a Pinnochio-esque story of a robotic boy who must fend for himself after his master his eliminated by a Sith lord and the short can feel a little throwaway. But as the story encroaches into darker territory on its way to delivering a fist-pumpingly heroic finale, its purpose becomes clearer. This is one of the most simple, purest forms of Star Wars storytelling and, for someone, it will potentially be their introduction to this world.

On that level, T0-B1 is successful in delivering that visceral Star Wars thrill of watching a character go from humble nobody to hero, all wrapped up in an incredibly stylish package. It might not be very dissimilar from Luke Skywalker’s story, but it is inspiring and enraptures you in the world of T0-B1, and to some young person out there, that might be enough to create a lifelong Star Wars fan.

7. Tatooine Rhapsody

Lucasfilm, 2021

Easily the most unique of all the stories told within Visions, Tatooine Rhapsody follows the exploits of Jay (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), an outcast Jedi following the fall of the Jedi Order who finds belonging within a band of miscreants, together forming a literal rock band. When their leader Geezer (Bobby Moynihan) is taken prisoner by Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and brought to Tatooine to fulfil a debt to iconic crime lord Jabba the Hutt, the band springs into action to rescue their bassist, endearing themselves to a whole new fanbase in the process.

The episode wins points on the strength of its premise alone, leaning into the weirdness that the galaxy has to offer and away from the conventional Jedi vs Sith storytelling that the rest of the series favours. It wears its anime influences on its sleeve; full of zany, over-the-top characters and larger-than-life musical moments, a lot of which will have you wincing from the cringe-inducing lyrics. If you can get past this however, you will be rewarded with a simple but touching story of friendship that offers a glimpse into the ground level stories of regular people within the galaxy.

6. Akakiri

Lucasfilm, 2021

An ode to a more old-school form of Japanese animation, Akakiri presents the stylish hand-drawn adventure of Jedi Tsubaki (Henry Golding), who returns to his childhood planet to aid long-lost love Misa (Jamie Chung) in recapturing the planet from Sith ruling. Traditional in its form as well as art-style, Akakiri is largely a road movie, following the pair and two goofy, overly superstitious guides (George Takei & Keone Young) as they travel across the planet and sneak into the Sith’s castle, narrowly avoiding capture at every turn.

The simple premise works thanks to terrific voice-acting, especially Takei and Young, who bring the most humour to the entire series with their oafish guides’ constant babbling about the events transpiring. Golding and Chung have excellent chemistry, their dialogue hinting at a complicated past, without the need to dig too deeply into it before a shocking ending twists the narrative on its head, unafraid to leave you without a happy resolution in favour of forcing you to think about the complex moral choices that are so often glossed over in Star Wars.

5. The Twins

Lucasfilm, 2021

The Twins could easily function as one of Marvel’s recent What If episodes, telling the story of a set of twins (not dissimilar from Luke and Leia) born through the Dark Side of the Force and tasked with subjecting the galaxy to their rule. One of these twins Karre (Neil Patrick Harris) defects from the pair’s evil plan, stealing a necessary component to a Death Star style weapon and sending sister Am (Alison Brie) into a blind rage, culminating with the siblings thrown into all-out war with each other.

On its face this is essentially “what if Leia went to the Dark Side” but what makes The Twins so fascinating to watch is the way it embraces the craziness of anime such as Dragon Ball Z and Gundam with a battle for the ages; full of explosions and over-the-top twists. A normal lightsaber fight? Try a robotic suit of six lightsaber whips against an entire X-Wing out in the vacuum of space. It is this total commitment to full-tilt insanity that makes the episode so enthralling, with each new development in the battle a showcase of the creativity and inventiveness that the franchise helped inspire in the first place.

4. Lop & Ochō

Lucasfilm, 2021

Another hand-drawn tale – this time from Japanese studio Geno – Lop & Ochō blends not only its in-episode worlds, with a small, heavily Japanese-influenced city overrun by an Imperial regime, but its story influences, drawing on the original trilogy’s fondness for found family storylines and the political overtures of the prequel trilogy to particularly potent effect. Alien slave Lop (Anna Cathcar voices the anthropomorphised rabbit) is rescued by Ochō (Hiromi Dames) and her village-leader father Yasaburo (Paul Nakauchi), and adopted into the family as a sister to Ochō, who is next in line to lead the clan. When an Imperial occupation divides the clan from within – with Ochō choosing to join the Empire in order to stave off her village’s destruction and Yasaburo opting to fight for their freedom – Lop is forced to step in to stop the Empire and reconcile her broken family.

The stakes are certainly epic in scope, but Lop & Ochō favours a more focused approach to the storytelling, detailing the ground level struggle of the village and the particularly tough situation it finds itself in: desperate to be free of Empire rule but unable to function without it thanks to years of resource mining. It’s a high concept wrapped up in the distinctly human struggle of Yasaburo’s clan and the emotional beats between the central trio hit home, despite the relatively short runtime. Lop, Ochō and Yasaburo are all given enough time to let their ideas breathe and you can understand each party’s viewpoints, making Lop’s ultimate decision that much more emotionally impactful, as only the the best Star Wars stories can be.

3. The Ninth Jedi

Lucasfilm, 2021

When young Jedi Ethan (Masi Oka) answers a mysterious beacon from the shadowy Juro (Andrew Kishino) offering him one of the ancient weapons of the Jedi – a lightsaber – he finds he is part of a large group of outcast Jedi who have answered the call. As the group debate over the true identity of their host, young Kara (Kimiko Glenn) is forced to go on the run after bounty hunters storm the house she shares with her father, murdering him in an attempt to steal the lightsabers he has created for Juro. Seeking shelter at the only other place she knows, Kara finds herself on a course to interrupting the Jedi’s gathering, with her arrival setting off an unpredictable chain of events.

The Ninth Jedi is one giant exercise in challenging iconic Star Wars preconceptions, steadily building tension towards a reveal that throws the audience for a loop but never feels like a cheap trick. Instead it invites us to look at how we view the franchise as a whole, at how we have been conditioned to think a certain way about how certain characters look or behave and how that behaviour pigeonholes them as a certain type of character. That might sound overly political or preachy but The Ninth Jedi never feels that way, with its slow burn of intrigue and action-packed side story intersecting in an explosive finale.

2. The Elder

Lucasfilm, 2021

A simple but extremely effective episode, The Elder focuses on a master Jedi and his Padawan as they investigate a disturbance on a nearby planet, plunging them into a deadly battle with an ancient Sith enemy. Immediately the animation grabs you; an intricately detailed and polished style that sets the scene for a more mature episode than what has come before. Once the duel swings into full effect it is stunning to behold: a dimly lit, rain-soaked affair brightened only by the vivid greens, reds and blues of the participants lightsabers, with fight choreography as impressive as many of the franchise’s best.

The relationship between Jedi’s Tajin (David Harbour) and his apprentice Dan (Jordan Fisher) will be instantly familiar to fans of Obi-Wan and Qui-Gonn’s bond in The Phantom Menace, creating an immediate connection to the characters that adds to the tension of the final showdown. It might not pack the heavy thematic notes of other episodes but The Elder is a fine example of how the fundamentals of Star Wars can create something engaging and investing without the need for complex worlds or backstory; how the choreography and movement of a fight alone can tell a compelling and gripping story.

1. The Duel

Lucasfilm, 2021

George Lucas has long spoken about the influences he drew on when creating Star Wars and like Lucas’ original films The Duel wears those influences of Japanese samurai culture and Westerns on its sleeves, combining them with a visually striking, black and white art style to create something wholly unique to the Star Wars canon. We follow our largely silent Ronin hero (Masaki Terasoma) as he wanders into a small village seeking shelter and sustenance. When a group of Stormtroopers, led by a mysterious Sith warrior, arrives to subjugate the village, a group of bounty hunters employed by the villagers bravely fight back unaware of the power of their Sith opponent. Overpowered and on the brink of the defeat, the village must place their faith in the shadowy Ronin to defend them.

As with the best Western stories, The Duel challenges the morality of its hero, not staying beholden to the dichotomy of Jedi and Sith as the episode presents the possibility of the Ronin being tuned to both the Dark and Light side of the Force. Visually he appears to be a Jedi, but as events unfold you understand that, unlike the art style, this world isn’t that black and white. Exploring the murkier underbelly of the Star Wars galaxy is something fans have long been clamouring for, and The Duel shows that Jedi and Sith exist without being wholly good or evil like heroes and villains of the past.

The visuals are, simply put, stunning; resembling a living painting with the way the line work of the hand-drawn style shifts as characters move. Vibrant blue laser bolts and vivid red beams of lightsabers pop against the muted background, creating scenes so visually stunning they could be hung as artwork. As the first episode in the anthology, The Duel is tasked with setting the tone for things to come and it succeeds the most in balancing all the elements at play, from the Anime craziness of the Sith’s umbrella lightsaber, the classically Japanese Ronin hero to an R2-D2-like droid that provides some much-needed humour. A perfect introduction to an exciting new chapter in Star Wars.

S

Star Wars: Visions stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Alison Brie, Neil Patrick Harris, Henry Golding, Jamie Chung, David Harbour, Jordan Fisher, Masi Oka, Kimiki Glenn, Anna Cathcar, Hiromi Dames, Paul Nakauchi, George Takei, Bobby Moynihan, Temuera Morrison & Karen Fukuhara – Streaming on Disney+ Now.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

8/10

Categories
Ranked

RANKED – Spider-Man Films

2021 seems to be the year of Spider-Man, with the trailer for the web-head’s latest outing No Way Home shattering records and the announcement of the sequel to 2018’s Insomniac-produced game blowing fans’ minds with the imminent arrival of series favourite (not always, as you’ll see below) Venom. With that we thought it was the perfect time to swing through the web-slinger’s filmography – Avengers appearances and Venom spin-offs notwithstanding – to come up with the definitive ranking of Spidey films.

8. Spider-Man 3

Columbia Pictures, 2007

The film that tanked Sam Raimi’s otherwise perfect trilogy, Spider-Man 3 will long be remembered as one of the most unintentionally hilarious superhero films. Emo Peter Parker? Already an odd choice. Having him strut his stuff through a crowded New York street shooting finger guns at horrified women? It’s the stuff of ‘so bad it’s great’ legend. But apart from these moments of unintentional levity, Spider-Man 3 is a largely dull affair, taking the characters we loved from the first two films and finishing their arcs in haphazard, unlikeable ways across the board.

James Franco’s Harry Osborn should be the big bad that the series was building toward, stepping into his father’s legacy and forced to make monumental choices between family and friend. Instead he loses his memory like a bad episode of an 80’s soap opera and does the twist while making omelettes with Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst). Enter Topher Grace’s woefully miscast Eddie Brock (AKA Venom) and an actually decent Thomas Haden Church as the Sandman to fill that villainous void. It all descends into an incomprehensible mess of a final action scene but the brief glimpses into Sandman’s sweet relationship with his daughter hint at the emotional connection Raimi excelled at in earlier instalments.

7. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

Columbia Pictures, 2014

The image really speaks volumes about The Amazing Spider-Man 2, taking the solid groundwork laid in Andrew Garfield’s introduction as the character and cluttering it with villains and downright stupid creative decisions. The relationship between Garfield’s Parker and Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy continues to be the highlight of these two films, with an easy, natural chemistry between the pair and some solid obstacles thrown at them that forces Peter to confront that fundamental Spider-Man issue: balancing his wants and needs as an everyday teen (now college student) and the larger responsibilities of Spider-Man.

Gwen’s death (spoiler alert) might just be the most heart-wrenching moment out of all these films but for every step it takes in the right direction, Amazing 2 counters with scene after scene of Jamie Foxx’s Electro muttering about his birthday through weirdly blue teeth, Dane DeHaan’s painfully annoying Harry Osborn and so much forced setup for a Sinister Six film that never came that Peter Parker gets buried in his own film.

6. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

Columbia Pictures, 2012

Andrew Garfield’s first outing as skater-boy Peter Parker announced him as a far superior version of Spider-Man whilst under the mask, firing quip after quip alongside the webs as he took on the villainous Lizard (Rhys Ifans). His Parker might have been a little too good-looking and charming for the usually reserved and awkward nerd audiences knew from the Raimi trilogy and comics but made up for it with great chemistry with Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). Far more than the constant damsel-in-distress Kirsten Dunst’s MJ found herself as, Gwen gets a lot more to do in the fight against the Lizard and endears herself to the audience in a much bigger way because of it.

Martin Sheen and Sally Field shine as Uncle Ben and Aunt May but the film stumbles in its over examination of Peter’s parents, tying his origin as the web-slinger to a scientific conspiracy further expounded on in the sequel. It never quite clicks together in expanding Peter’s character; positing his desire for a father figure as the basis for a friendship with Ifans’ cold-blooded scientist is a clunky way to bring the pair together. Ifans, for his part, isn’t given a whole lot to do other than whine about his missing limb and provide a physical opponent for Spidey; a wasted opportunity for one of the all-time greats from Spider-Man’s rogues gallery.

5. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

Columbia Pictures, 2019

The burden of carrying the first post-Endgame MCU film falls on Spidey’s shoulders in Far From Home and it largely works despite the drastic shift in scale from the world-ending threat of Thanos. The film takes a while to get going, walking us through Peter’s (Tom Holland) desire for a break from web-slinging and a chance to declare his affection for MJ (Zendaya) on an upcoming European school trip. Things pick up with the arrival of Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio, a worthy foil who plays upon the teenagers naivety to gain access to Stark-level weaponry and present himself as Earth’s new defender.

Gyllenhaal and Holland’s bro-ish chemistry is fun to watch, with Peter leaning heavily on another potential mentor after Tony Stark’s recent passing, and the big reveal of Mysterio’s evil intentions provides a big moment to drive his character forward. By the end of it all there’s lessons learned, tears shed and the fully confident Spider-Man we all knew Holland could be taking centre stage as he defeats his greatest enemy to date. Still it’s hard to ignore the significant chunk of what feels like filler as we move through what is largely a stopgap on the way to the more MCU significant crossover in the upcoming No Way Home.

4. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Columbia Pictures, 2018

Fans waited a long time to see Ultimate comics’ Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) take up the mantle of Spider-Man and it turned out to be worth the wait, with Sony Animation delivering a visually stunning film that looks as though it as been pulled straight out of the pages of a comic. Miles’ origin story on its face isn’t hugely different from that of Peter Parker, but the way in which the film fundamentally understands Spider-Man on a character level ensures that this origin story is anything but unoriginal, delivering the message that anyone could be under the mask; that it is the fundamental goodness he brings to life that enables Miles to succeed as the web-slinger – a universal lesson for audiences young and old.

With strange new takes on iconic characters and a phenomenal voice cast all around – Jake Johnson’s schlubby Peter B. Parker and John Mulaney’s hilarious Spider-Ham are particular highlights – this is Spider-Man for a new generation: a bold new direction that we can’t wait to see where it heads.

3. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Columbia Pictures, 2017

Having won audiences over with his unexpected debut in Captain America: Civil War, Tom Holland cemented himself as the next great Spider-Man for the MCU generation with solo film follow-up Homecoming. Being the first Peter Parker to actually look like they belong in school turns out to be one of Holland’s greatest assets, as the film is able to believably tackle the homework vs. hero angle, whilst still leaving plenty of room for MCU-sized action. Downey Jr.’s supporting turn as Iron Man is able to further Peter’s developmental arc, strengthen that father-son bond on the way to the devastating “I don’t feel too well Mr. Stark” payoff and provides some real stakes to Peter’s antics other than the always present threat of death.

Michael Keaton’s Vulture joins the pantheon of great on-screen Spider-Man villains along with the next two to be named, gleefully turning a profit cashing in on the fallout from Avengers level incidents before a certain Spider proves a thorn in his side. That pivotal twist – that the Vulture is actually the father of Peter’s crush – is a perfect Spider-Man story beat, seemingly insignificant in the larger scheme of things but completely shattering Parker’s world. But the defining moment? Peter psyching himself up to shift a pile of rubble; the kid from Queens and the audience joining together in chants of “Come on, Spider-Man” as he steps into the responsibility thrust upon him and becomes the hero we know and love.

2. Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Columbia Pictures, 2004

A somewhat controversial placement, Sam Raimi’s beloved middle film in the trilogy takes all that he built in the first film and doubles down, adding another iconic villain in Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock, more complications to Peter’s (Tobey Maguire) relationships with Harry (Franco) and MJ (Dunst) and the quintessential representation of the struggle between Spider-Man duties and the yearning for a normal life. Maguire builds upon his iconic performance to include layers of exhaustion and jealousy as Peter must watch the woman he loves marry someone else all the while knowing he could never give her the life he feels she deserves.

The “I am Spider-Man no more” line hits like a ton of bricks as you actually feel like this could be the end, that Peter has finally had enough, and while this may all sound like a dour, overly serious Spidey adventure, Raimi is able maintain that balance of heavy, real stakes with camp and humour, whether that be Bruce Campbell’s hilarious cameo or the memed-to-death ‘pizza boy’ scene. Dock Ock is the perfect mix of over-the-top maniacal villainy and affecting backstory, his turn to evil borne out of tremendous grief and suffering. He might even be the best of Spidey’s foes, if it weren’t for…

1. Spider-Man (2002)

Columbia Pictures, 2002

The Green Goblin. We’ll get to the webhead himself in a minute but let’s take the time to recognise one of the best superhero villain performances of all time in Willem Dafoe’s gleefully unhinged performance as Norman Osborn, AKA Green Goblin. It’s a performance that simply couldn’t exist in today’s film landscape, so whacky and hilarious whilst being downright terrifying at the same time. Raimi presenting Norman’s development into the big bad in tandem with Peter’s only adds to the audience investment; making his turn into Spider-Man all the more courageous when you can see the dark path that sudden increase in power could have sent him.

But as for Spider-Man, this is the definitive telling of his origin story, filled with iconic scenes that have stood the test of time within the superhero genre. That first wall-crawl. The upside-down kiss. The first glorious swing through the buildings of New York. Tobey Maguire became a superstar off the back of his performance as the dorky teen living out every dorky teen’s fantasy and even if his Spider-Man didn’t have the most personality, his Peter Parker has yet to be beaten, hopelessly pining over the girl next door and coming into his own through sheer determination. This is the reason that superhero films exploded into the mainstream culture and for good reason: Spider-Man is spectacular.

Columbia Pictures, 2002
Categories
Ranked

RANKED – DC Extended Universe Films

The DC “Extended Universe” as it is now known has had a tumultuous journey throughout its relatively short 7 years, with various set-backs and course corrections altering character arcs and even entire films before they reached audiences. Nevertheless, the films featuring the likes of Batman, Wonder-Woman and Harley Quinn consistently bring in huge numbers at the box office (sometimes regardless of the quality – I’m talking about you Suicide Squad). With a recent string of relatively well-received hits and plenty more on the horizon (The Suicide Squad & The Batman), it is looking like a particularly bright future if you’re a DC fan. With this year’s DC Fandome event whetting our appetite for more of these characters and Wonder Woman 1984 hitting our screens before the end of the year, now might seem like the perfect time to go back and re-watch your favourites or start the series. Luckily for you, we’ve done the hard work and ranked all the DCEU films currently available from best to Suicide Squad (no points for guessing that ranking).

8. Suicide Squad (2016)

Warner Bros, 2016

As expected, in last place we have David Ayer’s absolute mess of a superhero team-up film. It is fair to say expectations were high and for good reason with a cast like this. Will Smith. Margot Robbie. Viola Davis. Whether you believe the reports of heavy studio meddling or not, the one thing you can’t deny is that the final product is woefully undercooked. None of the characters are given much development at all apart from Smith’s Deadshot and Robbie’s Harley Quinn and the introductions we get to them are rendered comical by the incessant use of top 40 radio-songs. Seriously, it’s like the entire film’s music was orchestrated to net Warner Music’s stars some royalties. The plot is fairly standard comics Suicide Squad fair. A group of criminals with bombs implanted in their heads perform dangerous missions to get their sentences reduced, this time around that involves fighting their way through the fictional Midway City in order to stop the evil Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) from carrying out her decidedly vague, superhero movie staple “end of the world” plan. Delevingne is by far the worst thing about the film (and that’s saying something), waving her hands around as she weirdly sambas towards the titular team for an anti-climactic showdown. The one saving grace is that you can happily skip this and still have a perfect understanding of things going forward in the DC Universe until James Gunn’s reboot releases next year to hopefully better results.

7. Birds of Prey (2020)

Warner Bros, 2020

Plucking Harley Quinn from out of the wreckage of Suicide Squad led to only slightly better results in the annoyingly titled Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). That’s right, I used the full title because I want you to know how ridiculous it is. We find Harley on the outs with boy toy the Joker in her latest outing, her back against the wall as criminals descend from the rafters to take their revenge now that she is no longer affiliated with the clown prince of crime. The biggest of these baddies is Ewan McGregor’s Roman Sionis (known to comic book fans as Black Mask), who actually manages to steal the limelight away from Quinn for more than a few scenes as he stomps his way through foul-mouthed tantrums and some unnerving moments of villainy. The eventual Birds of Prey team-up might be a little too convenient but injects a much needed shot of adrenaline in proceedings, with a diverse supporting cast including Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Rosie Perez doing their best to counter Robbie’s over-exuberance. Certain scenes including a delightful bout of colourful bedlam in a police station show promises of something beyond the trite elements stripped from Deadpool but are too few and far between to turn Birds of Prey into essential DC viewing.

6. Justice League (2017)

Warner Bros, 2017

It’s hard to be too critical of Justice League, a film plagued by production issues and the untimely personal tragedy of director Zack Snyder forcing him to leave the film in the hands of Avengers director Joss Whedon. By all accounts, Whedon butchered the film and the resulting superhero team-up barely hits the 2 hour mark, very atypical for films of this type and even more strange considering the new Snyder Cut coming in 2021 is expected to be over 4 hours long. Nevertheless the resulting film was released and needs to be judged on that. Whedon tries almost too hard to inject the levity of Avengers here, focusing on banter and cool action moments rather than a coherent story. The gist of it involves Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) rallying together to assemble a team of superheroes – including the Flash (Ezra Miller), Cyborg (Ray Fisher) and Aquaman (Jason Momoa) – to defend the earth from an upcoming invasion by Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds), lieutenant for Thanos-level DC villain Darkseid (who was originally scripted to appear but is strangely absent). The story involving various macguffins and an attempt to revive the recently deceased Superman isn’t nearly as coherent as Whedon’s other work and converges into a final “team fights an army of faceless villains” confrontation so bland and weightless, it is hard to recall amongst the myriad of superior scenes. At the end of the day, Whedon’s version of Justice League is a somewhat enjoyable ride that Snyder will hopefully improve upon in the future, with some solid character moments and the honour of bestowing the world with Jason Momoa’s ultra macho, kick-ass Aquaman interpretation.

5. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Warner Bros, 2016

After the solid success of Man of Steel, DC decided to differentiate themselves from the MCU’s way of doing things; skipping the individual hero films and going all in with the Civil War-esque showdown of Batman v Superman. The result is a messy, overly complex superhero film that at times seems more preoccupied with laying the groundwork for things to come than being a coherent film in itself. Director Zack Snyder did manage to flesh out some of the myriad of undercooked storylines and give some breathing room to character arcs in the superior Ultimate Cut but the film still struggles under the weight of everything it is trying to do. After witnessing the destruction of Metropolis in the events of Man of Steel, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) sets his sights on Superman (Henry Cavill), digging deep into the work of billionaire tech philanthropist (and Superman’s main psychotic enemy) Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) in order to find a way to stop Kal-El from ever repeating his mistakes. Add to that the many side investigations of Lois Lane (Amy Adams), Superman struggling to find his way in the world amid the myriad of political attacks led by a disgruntled senator (Holly Hunter), the introduction of Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman and hints at each member of the Justice League and you have yourself one big pile of movie. The bright spots burn particularly bright, namely Batfleck and Wonder Woman’s introductions and the internal struggle of Superman, but for every victory the film shoots itself in the foot with sloppy writing. It’ll take more knocks in the head than Superman and Batman suffer combined to forget about that Martha debacle.

4. Wonder Woman (2017)

Warner Bros, 2017

Catapulting off her performance in Batman v Superman, Gal Gadot found herself in the spotlight in the first solo Wonder Woman film, one of the first showings that the DC universe could escape the dark and gritty pallet of Zack Snyder and venture into vibrancy and positivity. Patty Jenkins directs with obvious love and adoration for the character, building a fully realised character in Diana Prince, who must learn the hardships of life after being flung from her perfectly isolated picturesque paradise of the Amazonian isle of Themyscira into the first World War, desperate to bring the peace of her people to the larger world by killing the embodiment of war Ares (David Thewlis). The film works best when it focuses on the fish-out-of-water storyline of Diana, giving us genuinely funny gags (something the series had struggled with in the past) and heart in spades. Chris Pine is excellent as Steve Trevor, bringing a rough-and-tumble charm to the spy who is on his own personal mission to end the war and stop the German scientist Doctor Poison (Elena Anaya), but this is Gadot’s film. Like Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man or Chris Hemsworth as Thor, she embodies the role in every way possible, bringing a dignity and grace to the princess of Themyscira whilst maintaining that warrior spirit and willingness to do whatever it takes to spread peace. The third act stumbles slightly in its generic, CGI-heavy punchathon, but it can be forgiven when what preceded it is as affecting and genuine as Wonder Woman is.

3. Shazam! (2019)

Warner Bros, 2019

Tom Hanks’ Big is a classic right? The story of a boy who wishes to become an adult one fateful night and wakes up the next day having jumped the gun on puberty. What if instead of becoming just an adult, that boy became a superhero? Complete with super-speed, flight and the ability to shoot lightning and move between boy and man by uttering a single word. Enter David F. Sandberg’s Shazam!, a film that excels by simply knowing what it needs to be: fun. This is definitely the most lighthearted adventure thus far in the DCEU and the result is a surprising jolt of energy into the developing overall tone of the series. We’ve seen films like Aquaman and Wonder Woman try to steer away from that grittiness of yesteryear before but Shazam! is a whole different ball game, taking the admittedly ridiculous story of Billy Batson (Asher Angel) and turning it into a (mostly) family-friendly adventure with jokes flying thick and fast as Billy and adopted brother Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer) discover the former’s powers together. Grazer is on top form here, fresh off his performance as the equally neurotic Eddie Kasprak from the IT franchise, and his banter with Zachary Levi (who plays the powered-up version of Billy) is the highlight of the film, full of childlike wonder and amusement as they bond and tackle everyday problems with Billy’s abilities. Sandberg isn’t afraid to push the limits of the “family friendly” tag though, peppering in some truly horrific creatures, physical embodiments of the seven deadly sins controlled by the evil Dr. Sivana (Mark Strong hamming it up).

2. Aquaman (2018)

Warner Bros, 2018

How do you end decades of endless ridicule of a superhero whose only real power is the ability to talk to fish? You cast the hulking behemoth that is Jason Momoa and dare anyone to crack a joke, that’s how. Momoa redefines the character of Arthur Curry in his own solo film as a tough as nails, heavily drinking badass, who rejects his valid claim to the throne of Atlantis, an act of defiance against those who he believed murdered his mother Queen Atlanna (Nicole Kidman). The film follows a fairly standard hero’s journey arc for Arthur, paring him with Princess Mera (Amber Heard) on a journey to find the long-lost trident of Atlan, the only macguffin powerful enough to defeat Arthur’s deranged half brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) and fulfil his destiny. Having previously helmed horror franchises such as Insidious and The Conjuring before moving on to tackle the gigantic Furious 7, director James Wan goes bigger than ever before here, populating the sprawling CGI world of Atlantis with all manner of cool and crazy creatures. Orm riding an armoured Mosasaur into battle? Check. An octopus playing war drums before a ceremonial death match for the crown? Check again. A remix of Toto’s hit Africa by the one and only Pitbull? You bet your ass that’s a monster of a tune. As you can see Wan has fun with this world, also bringing those horror roots to tense and terrifying scenes involving the Trench, a race of mutated ocean dwellers driven insane by the lack of light in the briny depths. Throughout it all however, we are deeply invested in Arthur’s journey, primarily due to the earnestness in Momoa’s performance. He lives and breathes this character, this is a part of him and it comes across on-screen. Give Jason Momoa as many sequels as you can in this crazy underwater playground. Long live the king.

1. Man of Steel (2013)

Warner Bros, 2013

Man of Steel represents the purest form of what the DCEU set out to do: build on the foundation and quality of Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy to create a film that gets to the heart of Superman and his message, with Henry Cavill cementing his legacy as Supes with a performance that rivals the great Christopher Reeves. Told through a combination of flashbacks, both to the fall of Krypton and Clark Kent’s childhood, this new take on the iconic story presents Clark as a lost soul searching for the meaning his adoptive father (Kevin Costner) has always told him his life holds as a link between humanity and a bigger universe, a guiding light to bigger things for the human race. When the terrifying General Zod (Michael Shannon) risks everything Clark holds dear, he is forced to dig into his past, uncovering the ghostly memory of his Kryptonian father Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and the power he possesses as the strongest being on Earth. The world-building on display is fascinating, giving you equal measures of classic Earth-bound adventures and epic sci-fi action from the destruction of Krypton to Clark’s final battle against the devious Zod. Following a similar stylistic choice to Nolan’s trilogy proves a bit too dark at times, with a very muted colour pallet robbing the film of a lot of its vibrancy – especially with regards to Superman’s otherwise vivid suit – but fitting like a glove when applied to the cold Kryptonian architecture. The film does manage to top Nolan’s opus in one key way, with composer Hans Zimmer delivering his greatest work here, crafting an iconic modern take on the Superman theme, one that fills you with dread as General Zod approaches his unsuspecting victim but also with unbridled hope and optimism as Clark uncovers his potential and becomes the symbol for all humanity to aspire to. It’s a transportive score that elevates the film to a whole new level and one you will be humming for weeks after. Man of Steel is an experiment that proves that there is a middle ground between extremely dark and gritty and comedy-heavy, a grounded epic that makes you believe in the man in the red cape you looked up to as a kid all over again.

Categories
Ranked

RANKED – Best Games of the PS4/Xbox One Generation

With the PS5 and Xbox Series X now out in the wild for those lucky few that managed to snag a pre-order, the PS4/Xbox One generation of games is coming to an end, which means it is time to look back on the best of the best of the last seven years. We’re excluding Nintendo here given they don’t conform to anyones rules and had two consoles release during this time, one of which we don’t really want to talk about (sorry Wii-U) and the other which hasn’t finished it’s life cycle just yet. No we’re sticking to the big boys here from Sony and Microsoft. Keep in mind we haven’t played everything and there may be some notable omissions to some (we didn’t get to The Last of Us Part II, don’t hurt us), but these are what we consider the cream of the crop and games that you absolutely should play before you switch over to the next-gen. Without further ado, let’s get into it.

10. Infamous: Second Son (2014)

Sony Interactive Entertainment, 2014

One of the first exclusives for the PS4, Infamous: Second Son remains one of the best, an excellent super-hero (or super-villain) game beaten only by one other entry on this list. Players take control of Delsin Rowe, a Native American graffiti artist who discovers he has the powers of a Conduit (the game’s term for super-powered individuals); specifically he can absorb and utilize the powers of other Conduits, thus making him the perfect candidate for wild experimentation with different power-sets. When the villainous Brooke Augustine and her Department of Unified Protection slaughter Delsin’s tribe in an effort to find these Conduits, he begins a journey of revenge through Seattle, amassing different skills and abilities that give players a tremendous amount of choice in how to tackle the game’s multiple enemy types. Not only are all the powers extremely original and fun to fight with – ranging from Smoke and Neon to Video and Concrete – but they impact how Delsin traverses Seattle, whether that be a super-speed Neon dash or Smoke powered hover, making just getting around the city incredibly enjoyable in its own right, up there with Spider-Man‘s swinging mechanics. What elevates the story beyond typical superhero fare is the Infamous‘ series signature choice mechanic, presenting you with multiple scenarios where you are forced to decide between the good or evil path for Delsin, actively affecting the outcome of his story and the powers presented to him. It might be a bit hard to seek out this late in the console’s life but do yourself a favour and try; Infamous: Second Son is an immensely fun and replayable super-hero romp.

9. Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020)

Square Enix, 2020

In a generation full of remasters, remakes and long-awaited sequels, 2020’s Final Fantasy VII Remake is probably the most infamous. Releasing 23 years after the iconic Playstation One original, the game had a ridiculous amount of pressure from fans of the series who demanded that creators Square Enix do the classic game justice. Yet fears for the game’s quality were put to bed when Final Fantasy VII Remake released, quickly becoming one of the most successful entries the franchise has ever seen. Well-developed characters, action heavy combat and an unexpectedly fresh plot all drove it to the top of the charts at release, and it has maintained quite a reputation since. Cloud and his group were given a huge amount of additional character development compared to the original, which shines through in the emotionally impactful and genuine interactions between them It also looks downright fantastic, with even the most intense and chaotic action sections exploding to life with colour and polish. Yes it’s a somewhat shorter experience than other franchise entries and is only part of the full experience offered in the original, but its surprising changes to the plot and overhauled battle system set it apart from its legendary source material. If you’re even remotely interested in RPGs, then make sure you give this one a go before its sequel undoubtedly makes its mark on the next console generation.

8. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019)

Electronic Arts, 2019

EA had a lot to make up for with Jedi: Fallen Order. After two fairly lackluster attempts at revitalising the Battlefront series, the developers turned their eyes to a purely single-player, story-focused adventure featuring newly created Jedi Cal Kestis. The result is one of the best Star Wars games of all time, with ridiculously fluid, satisfying lightsaber combat that borrows elements of the Batman: Arkham games and the difficulty of the Dark Souls games to make you feel like an unstoppable Jedi. It isn’t always easy and some of the boss battles can be brutal but the feeling of accomplishment that encompasses you when you clear a room of enemies is easily worth it, making you feel like Obi-Wan Kenobi himself once you master the many intricacies of the combat system. Accompanying Cal is former Jedi Cere and pilot Greez and the bond the three develop really increases your care factor and provides some nice smaller, character-driven moments outside the epic fight against the Empire. It’s a sure sign that you’ve done your characters justice when the player cares more about the inner relationships and dark secrets between them than the generally vague (yet awesome) battle between the Empire and Rebellion. Add to that the name-drops and locations that will make fans squeal with delight (as well as one drop-dead awesome cameo) and you have yourself a top-tier Star Wars game that makes an extremely strong case for the best ever made. Hell it was even the best thing the franchise produced in a year that included one of the movies.

7. DOOM Eternal (2020)

Bethesda Softworks, 2020

2016’s DOOM was an incredible return to form for the seminal franchise. A rip-roaring, gory as hell (pun intended) trip across Mars that made the player feel like an absolute badass, a one-man army tearing through hordes of nightmarish ghouls and demons. While the main story was great, it did feel a bit rushed and the multiplayer underwhelmed for the most part, feeling like little more than a tacked-on extra. Those problems are more than made up for in the 2020 sequel DOOM: Eternal, with a meaty story mode that takes the Doom Slayer through Mars, Earth and Hell on an epic quest to prevent the destruction of Earth by the demon forces of the Khan Makyr. Right away that muscle memory from the first game comes back, with the same twitchy gunplay and parkour based movement system that will have you leaping around the multi-tiered arenas, switching between the myriad of ridiculously over-the-top weapons and laying waste to wave after wave of demons. It just might be the best shooter ever, with the verticality of the combat providing endless opportunities to experiment as you eliminate the increasingly aggressive forces of Hell. The guns all feel appropriately weighty and feature secondary fire modes that keep things fresh and each demonic foe the Doom Slayer comes up against requires a slightly different approach to defeat. Just don’t dig too deep into the story and you’ll be fine. It starts off simple enough but quickly descends into a completely incomprehensible mess; albeit one that takes you to some equally gorgeous and terrifying locales. The multiplayer modes also breathe new life into the classic team death-match formula with two demons taking on one slayer in thrilling fashion. Don’t skip on DOOM: Eternal; it is the best shooter of the generation and a hellishly good time.

6. Resident Evil VII: Biohazard (2017)

Capcom, 2017

Many thought the Resident Evil franchise was over the hill after the messy, over-the-top sixth instalment in 2012. Capcom wisely took a step back and returned 5 years later with arguably the best entry in the long-running franchise. Eschewing the traditional third-person, over-the-shoulder camera proved to be a stroke of genius, placing you in the first-person shoes of new protagonist Ethan Winters, responding to his presumed-dead wife’s message at a derelict Louisiana mansion, home to the terrifying Baker family. This new perspective quite literally puts you into the scares, making all the terrible events that befall Ethan feel much more intense and personal in an effort to send you through the roof with some genuinely shocking jump scares. The hallmarks of Resident Evil remain, from the tight inventory management play style that will have you avoiding enemies to conserve ammunition for fierce battles against gruesome bosses. The Baker family, although not directly linked to the other mainline games by a typically silly tangent, are some of the series’ best villains, with each family member providing a plethora of scares and some extremely memorable boss fights. There’s something about a hulking Jack Baker charging at you, fully engulfed in flames and an uncontrollable temper, that will remain permanently emblazoned into your mind, a set-piece that stands up there with the best the series has to offer. Resident Evil VII: Biohazard offers plenty to love for old and new fans alike, and may just be the most complete and terrifying Resident Evil experience to have graced these systems

5. Outlast (2013)

Red Barrels, 2014

Outlast is the scariest game ever made. Period. Don’t try and dispute that unless you can show me something scarier. I’ll wait. Set in an abandoned asylum, the game follows Miles, an investigative journalist tasked with uncovering the Murkoff corporation’s shadowy activities at the facility. Armed with only a video camera and an ever dwindling supply of batteries, the game hits you fast and hits you hard, with a mixture of jump-scares and chase scenes propelling you through the many nightmarish sections of the asylum. The lack of combat options adds to the overwhelming terror, providing you with only the option to run or hide. Run and you pretty much guarantee your demise unless you have thoroughly mapped your route with multiple escape exits. Hide and you’ll spend the next 20 something minutes carefully sneaking your way to your objective while your assailant prowls the corridors. It’s nerve shredding stuff and the atmosphere and design of the asylum – littered with mutilated corpses, blood soaked floors and bloody, deranged messages on the walls – makes it so you are never comfortable no matter where you are, even if no enemies are present. The enemies themselves are gruesome, abhorrent creatures for the most part, with the odd grunt enemy type reused, but the standouts are the main tormentors who track you across majority of the game: the hulking, almost pig-like Chris Walker whose lumbering gait belies a fearsome speed, and Richard Traeger, the deranged doctor hell-bent on torturing Miles and performing all sorts of awful experiments. If you can survive the anguish, do yourself a favour and tackle the Whistleblower DLC, an equally horrifying story that provides some interesting backstory to Miles’ main adventure as well as some unforgettably savage villains that rival the main game’s baddies.

4. Cuphead (2017)

Studio MDHR, 2017

Studio MDHR’s incredibly tough yet rewarding action platformer Cuphead is one of those games that is impossible to put down, while simultaneously making you want to hurl the controller through the TV. Lovingly crafted with hand-drawn animations and painted backgrounds, the game draws inspiration from classic 1930’s era cartoons of old, with surrealist enemies and old-school dialogue that underlies the incredibly challenging gameplay with a constant stream of charm. That gameplay is where Cuphead really shines, as the titular character and his brother Mugman take on boss fight after boss fight – with the odd platformer level thrown in for good measure – on their journey to reclaim lost souls for the Devil and clear their names from his bad books. Each boss is a multi-staged death-match, requiring players to attempt each fight multiple times in order to learn enemy patterns and identify the best strategy for victory. While there is a steady increase in challenge overall as the brothers traverse through each of the 3 overworlds, every boss is tough going at first, and some never seem to get any easier no matter how many tries you give it – one particular battle against a queen bee has given me permanent PTSD from the hundreds of times I heard her deranged battle cry. That feeling of exhilaration when you overcome a particularly challenging foe is almost euphoric, a worthy reward for a hard fought win that can sometimes leave you as soon as it arrives if you don’t give yourself a break before tackling the next boss. The anthropomorphic crockery handles extremely well with the old-school run and gun style of yesteryear feeling fresh and responsive in a world that sometimes overly complicates these simple game mechanics. The upgrades to your basic gun and dash moves all make a substantial difference in one way or another and choosing the correct loadout is a necessity if you want to make your way to the final bout against the Devil himself. Cuphead is a rewarding yet challenging indie that has deservedly gone mainstream and to other consoles beyond its initial Xbox exclusivity. This means that there has never been a better time to give it to go, just note we aren’t liable for any damage to your TV.

3. Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018)

Sony Interactive Entertainment, 2018

Many thought we’d reached the peak of superhero video games with Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham Knight. Yet along came a spider who managed to knock it from the top spot. Studio Insomniac took a break from their acclaimed Ratchet & Clank franchise to craft quite possibly the greatest superhero game of all time, as we find Peter Parker 8 years into his job as the web-slinger and in the middle of a war between various parties for New York. The love for Spidey is immediately apparent, with the story deftly weaving together multiple story points from the character’s rich history, throwing in mountains of secrets and references to uncover as well as power-ups, gadgets and suits from Spider-Man’s past that all have an impact on how you play and approach combat. That combat does indeed owe a lot to the Arkham formula, borrowing the standard strike and dodge mechanic, but it’s the movement that really catapults the game into top-tier. No other game, bar the admittedly now dated Spider-Man 2, has ever made web-swinging so fluid and precise that you actually feel like Spider-Man. It all works perfectly with the regular swinging, web zipping and launching off points coming together to make even the longest trips across New York exhilarating and unique, as you encounter side-missions, crimes to stop and challenges left by the villainous Taskmaster to complete. Throw in a bevy of classic villains from Rhino, Electro and Kingpin alongside newer enemies like Mister Negative and you have an absolutely insane game brimming with content. If you’re itching to try out Miles Morales on the PS5 and can’t get your hands on one, then head on back to the original. It’s never a bad time to take a swing through New York, just watch out for low-flying Vultures.

2. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (2016)

Sony Interactive Entertainment, 2016

By this stage, most will be familiar with Naughty Dog’s Uncharted franchise. Something of a modern day Indiana Jones series, the first three entries followed treasure hunter Nathan Drake as he travelled through tombs and forests with nothing but a pistol and a quick wit. Featuring charming characters, well-designed exploration and adrenaline-pumping action, the trilogy remains as one of the greatest highlights of the Playstation 3 catalogue. So when it came time to close the book on the series with a fourth and final entry on PS4, Naughty Dog went all in. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is quite simply the closest you’ll get to Hollywood action with a controller, featuring a brilliantly deep plot, fantastic character work, outrageous action and amazing visuals. It’s a rollercoaster of intensity and emotion from the offset, with an attention to detail and graphic fidelity so impressive it’s often hard to believe you’re in control of it all. You’ll often find yourself engrossed in a gorgeous cutscene, watching characters with years of established relationships interact with cinema-like quality. Next, you’re riding through vast open plains and taking on a small army with flair as you zip between locations all over the globe. We could sit here all day showering it with praise, but when its an adventure of a high enough standard to define an entire generation, it’s one best experienced first-hand.

1. God of War (2018)

Sony Interactive Entertainment, 2018

If you had asked us how we felt about the God of War franchise a few years ago, chances are we wouldn’t have much to say. The series was certainly good at what it did – hack and slash gameplay all about tearing enemies apart with as much blood and noise as possible – but nobody was coming to the table for an interesting plot, engaging world or developed characters. 2018’s ambitious sequel/reboot God of War sought to change all that with a shifted focus, new setting and series of refined mechanics that ultimately resulted in the current gen’s greatest achievement. Gone is the darkness and noise of Ancient Greece, replaced with a far more intimate yet expansive adventure through the lands of Norse mythology. We’re dropped into this new world as familiar anti-hero Kratos, who lives in quiet exile as a father and recent widower who must set out across these lands while pursued by both gods and demons. The action is just as tight as it was during previous entries, with the addition of a brutal axe that just may be one of the best weapons ever seen in a game. Yet where God of War really shines is in its incredibly deep plot and character building of the two main characters. We watch as Kratos evolves from a stoic, distant father into a wise protector and role model to his young son Atreus – who undergoes a huge and complex character arc himself. The entire game is shot from the shoulder of Kratos, ensuring that you’re deep in the middle of every conflict, victory, revelation and emotional moment from start to finish. It’s rare to find an experience as engrossing and memorable as this one, and it’s hard to imagine another game managing to do the same anytime soon. So when deciding on the greatest game of this generation, there really is no other choice as worthy as the outstanding God of War.