By Ben / 2010-09-05 17:57:14Like buses, we don’t have a video game film for months, then we get 3 right next to each other (Resident Evil Afterlife comes out next week). The difference between this and Tekken/Resident Evil is that King of Fighters is one of my very favourite franchises. So, no pressure then.
I can’t think of many of the videogame films I’ve reviewed for Loading Screen that that show such disregard for characters likenesses and backstory. I know it wont matter to non-fans, but seeing Iori and Mai together, Terry working as a short haired CIA agent, and Rugal fighting wearing ice hockey kit does the film no favours. Mai using electricity rather than fire, Rugal dressing as Geese for a while, fan-favourite Terry turned into a laughing stock, and the fights all taking place in an alternative dimension, they‘re all just wrong.
Which brings us nicely to the plot. Fights in the King of Fighters tournament take place in another dimension, which combatants are transported to whenever they are challenged. The exact details are slightly fuzzy, but this ‘other’ dimension contains the Orochi, a demon of sorts that grants great power at the cost of your soul. Rugal wants this power to become the King of Fighters, and snatches the 3 magic artefacts needed to release the Orochi and take over both dimensions.
It’s not a great plot truth be told, worse than the very similar Mortal Kombat. It’s also littered with some pretty poor acting, Kyo is the chief culprit, but Maggie Q as Mai is also guilty of some laboured lines. It may be that the script was changed late in the day as there’s a few instances of over-dubbing lines. It could also be because the script is terrible, Ray Park doesn’t strike me as an actor of great self-awareness, and it’s probably for the best as some of the lines he’s given are humiliating.
Saying a cobbled together video game film has dodgy acting, a weak plot, and horrible dialogue is pretty much a given, and it’s also not really the sort of stuff that’s going to make or break the film. A much bigger issue is the pace of King of Fighters, scenes go on for far too long, and it feels like 40 minutes before anything actually happens. In truth there’s action in the first scene (prefaced by a Mai shower scene, which may or may not be a nod to Street Fighter), the problem is that the fighting is so mundane it’s only memorable because Mr Big is rendered unconscious by banging his head on a wheeled aluminium rack.
There are some films where a lack of character development and staggered story progressions can be forgiven, video game fight films generally fall into that category. Because of this trundling through scenes the film feels much longer than its 90 minutes, not helped that the first 70 of these are tired and uneventful. Things do improve though, with the epic final fight between Iori, Kyo, Mai and Rugal being genuinely enjoyable. I’m not sure the payoff is so great it excuses the rest of the film, but had King of Fighters had a few more moments of that quality this review would read very differently.
The only other positive things I can think to say is that Orochi Iori is well done and suitably brutal, and that once the characters move into the ‘other’ dimension they do start to resemble their digital counterparts more… Apart from Kyo. It’s bizarre that they’ve willingly gone for an Asian female lead, an Asian in one of the more senior roles (Iori), yet hired the most American actor they could find as Kyo, it‘s not like an Asian heavy cast is going to affect the box office for this. Not to dwell too much on Tekken, but they at least cast an Asian actor as the lead. Oh, and Park arguably makes a better Geese than Rugal, but that’s not a compliment.
A final note of credit for King of Fighters is that the actors all seem believably capable when it comes to the martial arts, it’s just a surprise that the combat is so insipid coming from a Hong Kong action film director. The first 70 minutes leave King of Fighters amongst the worst films I’ve reviewed for Loading Screen, the last 20 minutes in the top half, but it‘s not enough. One to avoid, especially if you’re a fan.
I can’t think of many of the videogame films I’ve reviewed for Loading Screen that that show such disregard for characters likenesses and backstory. I know it wont matter to non-fans, but seeing Iori and Mai together, Terry working as a short haired CIA agent, and Rugal fighting wearing ice hockey kit does the film no favours. Mai using electricity rather than fire, Rugal dressing as Geese for a while, fan-favourite Terry turned into a laughing stock, and the fights all taking place in an alternative dimension, they‘re all just wrong.
Which brings us nicely to the plot. Fights in the King of Fighters tournament take place in another dimension, which combatants are transported to whenever they are challenged. The exact details are slightly fuzzy, but this ‘other’ dimension contains the Orochi, a demon of sorts that grants great power at the cost of your soul. Rugal wants this power to become the King of Fighters, and snatches the 3 magic artefacts needed to release the Orochi and take over both dimensions.
It’s not a great plot truth be told, worse than the very similar Mortal Kombat. It’s also littered with some pretty poor acting, Kyo is the chief culprit, but Maggie Q as Mai is also guilty of some laboured lines. It may be that the script was changed late in the day as there’s a few instances of over-dubbing lines. It could also be because the script is terrible, Ray Park doesn’t strike me as an actor of great self-awareness, and it’s probably for the best as some of the lines he’s given are humiliating.
Saying a cobbled together video game film has dodgy acting, a weak plot, and horrible dialogue is pretty much a given, and it’s also not really the sort of stuff that’s going to make or break the film. A much bigger issue is the pace of King of Fighters, scenes go on for far too long, and it feels like 40 minutes before anything actually happens. In truth there’s action in the first scene (prefaced by a Mai shower scene, which may or may not be a nod to Street Fighter), the problem is that the fighting is so mundane it’s only memorable because Mr Big is rendered unconscious by banging his head on a wheeled aluminium rack.
There are some films where a lack of character development and staggered story progressions can be forgiven, video game fight films generally fall into that category. Because of this trundling through scenes the film feels much longer than its 90 minutes, not helped that the first 70 of these are tired and uneventful. Things do improve though, with the epic final fight between Iori, Kyo, Mai and Rugal being genuinely enjoyable. I’m not sure the payoff is so great it excuses the rest of the film, but had King of Fighters had a few more moments of that quality this review would read very differently.
The only other positive things I can think to say is that Orochi Iori is well done and suitably brutal, and that once the characters move into the ‘other’ dimension they do start to resemble their digital counterparts more… Apart from Kyo. It’s bizarre that they’ve willingly gone for an Asian female lead, an Asian in one of the more senior roles (Iori), yet hired the most American actor they could find as Kyo, it‘s not like an Asian heavy cast is going to affect the box office for this. Not to dwell too much on Tekken, but they at least cast an Asian actor as the lead. Oh, and Park arguably makes a better Geese than Rugal, but that’s not a compliment.
A final note of credit for King of Fighters is that the actors all seem believably capable when it comes to the martial arts, it’s just a surprise that the combat is so insipid coming from a Hong Kong action film director. The first 70 minutes leave King of Fighters amongst the worst films I’ve reviewed for Loading Screen, the last 20 minutes in the top half, but it‘s not enough. One to avoid, especially if you’re a fan.
By Ben / 2010-08-15 06:54:47As mentioned last time I reviewed a Tekken film, it’s a series that’s never really clicked with me. Back in the day Virtua Fighter was my 3D fighter of choice, then Soul Calibur, and now for some reason the genre hasn’t really benefited from the recent upsurge in interest in fighting games. But can the Tekken film fair any better than the recent Street Fighter adaptation… Yes.
Tekken is set in a desolate future. Countries no longer exist, with a handful of corporations ruling, and squabbling over the world. People are oppressed and their liberties restricted, and the only way to escape poverty is to win the Iron Fist tournament.
The film focuses on Jin, who starts the film as a thief for hire, before seeing his mother killed and swearing vengeance on Tekken and it’s owner Heihachi. There’s a few side stories involving relationships, power struggles, and lineage, but really the plot is just to get the fights on their way.
The fights are without doubt the star, there’s a few signature moves, and some fantastic athleticism. Thankfully too the scenes are cut and shot long enough for you to see what’s actually going on. The only issues I really have with the fights is that the stage they fight on is themed, a nod to the games I’m sure, but no one makes use of the scenery so it just feels cheesy. The other issue is that not enough really happens outside the ring, possibly due to budget constraints for set building.
At points the acting descends to abysmal, but the core cast at least do a decent job. There’s no Raul Julia ‘It’s worth sitting through this just for my performance’ levels of acting, but Jon Foo, Luke Goss, Kelly Overton et al don’t embarrass themselves. The dialogue they’re given to work with is truly terrible at points, both clichéd and impossible to act.
The only other thing to say about Tekken is that it’s very predictable, in fact it actually does less than you expect. You’ve got a rudimentary plot to tie the fairly decent fights together, and a likable main character. Yes you’ve seen it all before, and some of it is cringe worthy (the flashbacks to the perfect advice from Jin’s mum, the lineage plot twist) but I found myself enjoying Tekken as it reached its end. Certainly it’s one of the better fighting films, not that there’s too much competition for that title.
For fans I’d say it’s well worth the watch if you can get past the liberties it takes with the plot, for everyone else, it’s not as bad as you’re expecting.
Tekken is set in a desolate future. Countries no longer exist, with a handful of corporations ruling, and squabbling over the world. People are oppressed and their liberties restricted, and the only way to escape poverty is to win the Iron Fist tournament.
The film focuses on Jin, who starts the film as a thief for hire, before seeing his mother killed and swearing vengeance on Tekken and it’s owner Heihachi. There’s a few side stories involving relationships, power struggles, and lineage, but really the plot is just to get the fights on their way.
The fights are without doubt the star, there’s a few signature moves, and some fantastic athleticism. Thankfully too the scenes are cut and shot long enough for you to see what’s actually going on. The only issues I really have with the fights is that the stage they fight on is themed, a nod to the games I’m sure, but no one makes use of the scenery so it just feels cheesy. The other issue is that not enough really happens outside the ring, possibly due to budget constraints for set building.
At points the acting descends to abysmal, but the core cast at least do a decent job. There’s no Raul Julia ‘It’s worth sitting through this just for my performance’ levels of acting, but Jon Foo, Luke Goss, Kelly Overton et al don’t embarrass themselves. The dialogue they’re given to work with is truly terrible at points, both clichéd and impossible to act.
The only other thing to say about Tekken is that it’s very predictable, in fact it actually does less than you expect. You’ve got a rudimentary plot to tie the fairly decent fights together, and a likable main character. Yes you’ve seen it all before, and some of it is cringe worthy (the flashbacks to the perfect advice from Jin’s mum, the lineage plot twist) but I found myself enjoying Tekken as it reached its end. Certainly it’s one of the better fighting films, not that there’s too much competition for that title.
For fans I’d say it’s well worth the watch if you can get past the liberties it takes with the plot, for everyone else, it’s not as bad as you’re expecting.
By Ben / 2010-05-31 12:43:30I think we've got one more film left before Loading Screen goes on indefinite hiatus again (maybe 2 if I can track down the Final Fantasy anime I'm missing), but at least we've got arguably the biggest ever game-film release to watch
If a game film is measured by how well it captures the spirit of the game, then Prince of Persia does a fairly decent job. It’s more mindless and obvious than its source, but it’s far from removed from the original Sands of Time. The plot is reasonably true to SoT, the Prince steals a dagger with the ability to roll back time for short periods, and must work with a feisty princess to protect the sands of time and halt a treacherous coup.
In terms of action this means lots of swash-buckling sword fights, and more importantly lots of acrobatics. From the early scenes onwards we see the Prince using beams as stepping stones, scampering up walls , and wall running to escape the Persian hordes. It looks pleasingly convincing too, you wouldn’t be surprised if Gyllenhaal performed most of the acrobatics himself.
There are of course plenty of things that Prince of Persia does get wrong, most notable is the issue of racial appearance. The senior cast of Ben Kingsley, Ronald Pickup, and Alfred Molina all put in good performances, and all make passable Persians. Admittedly the technique of just blackening the actors eyelids so they look Persian made me raise an eyebrow, but at least the effort’s been made.
The complaint that Gyllenhaal doesn’t look Persian is an obvious one, but the film goes some way to explaining this by making him the adopted son. Of course that neither of the born princes look anything other than English does make you question the point of that plot device, especially as the scene that introduces it is so jarring. Two white American children lost amongst the see Persians feels a bit old fashioned.
While the film’s certainly had some money spent on it, it falls down in some fairly fundamental areas. Scenes are too short, leaping from area to area, offering no sense of progression or tension. Worse, some of the scenes feel completely pointless, most telling is that one of these involves a characters death.
The sharp banter of the games is gone, there’s some back and forth but it’s neither entertaining nor witty. Far too much of the dialogue is merely there to explain the plot, the Prince’s first use of the dagger is a prime example, as after you’ve witnessed the Prince travel back through time multiple times, he then spends 5 minutes vocalising it.
The blossoming relationship between the Prince and princess Tamina isn’t convincing, she falls for him immediately then treats him with contempt before falling for him all over again. Hers isn’t the sassy banter of the Sand of Time game, or last years PoP game, it’s just hostility, and as such Tamina is a very hard character to like.
I can see Prince of Persia being the franchise that crosses over into the mainstream, I think it’d be more likely if it was a better film, but as a family action romp it hits the various notes. Which is part of the problem, there’s nothing here you haven’t seen before, add to that the poor dialogue, editing, and lack of atmosphere, and you’ve got quite a boring film. Gaming’s first Hollywood blockbuster movie, but amongst the worst of the money efforts.
If a game film is measured by how well it captures the spirit of the game, then Prince of Persia does a fairly decent job. It’s more mindless and obvious than its source, but it’s far from removed from the original Sands of Time. The plot is reasonably true to SoT, the Prince steals a dagger with the ability to roll back time for short periods, and must work with a feisty princess to protect the sands of time and halt a treacherous coup.
In terms of action this means lots of swash-buckling sword fights, and more importantly lots of acrobatics. From the early scenes onwards we see the Prince using beams as stepping stones, scampering up walls , and wall running to escape the Persian hordes. It looks pleasingly convincing too, you wouldn’t be surprised if Gyllenhaal performed most of the acrobatics himself.
There are of course plenty of things that Prince of Persia does get wrong, most notable is the issue of racial appearance. The senior cast of Ben Kingsley, Ronald Pickup, and Alfred Molina all put in good performances, and all make passable Persians. Admittedly the technique of just blackening the actors eyelids so they look Persian made me raise an eyebrow, but at least the effort’s been made.
The complaint that Gyllenhaal doesn’t look Persian is an obvious one, but the film goes some way to explaining this by making him the adopted son. Of course that neither of the born princes look anything other than English does make you question the point of that plot device, especially as the scene that introduces it is so jarring. Two white American children lost amongst the see Persians feels a bit old fashioned.
While the film’s certainly had some money spent on it, it falls down in some fairly fundamental areas. Scenes are too short, leaping from area to area, offering no sense of progression or tension. Worse, some of the scenes feel completely pointless, most telling is that one of these involves a characters death.
The sharp banter of the games is gone, there’s some back and forth but it’s neither entertaining nor witty. Far too much of the dialogue is merely there to explain the plot, the Prince’s first use of the dagger is a prime example, as after you’ve witnessed the Prince travel back through time multiple times, he then spends 5 minutes vocalising it.
The blossoming relationship between the Prince and princess Tamina isn’t convincing, she falls for him immediately then treats him with contempt before falling for him all over again. Hers isn’t the sassy banter of the Sand of Time game, or last years PoP game, it’s just hostility, and as such Tamina is a very hard character to like.
I can see Prince of Persia being the franchise that crosses over into the mainstream, I think it’d be more likely if it was a better film, but as a family action romp it hits the various notes. Which is part of the problem, there’s nothing here you haven’t seen before, add to that the poor dialogue, editing, and lack of atmosphere, and you’ve got quite a boring film. Gaming’s first Hollywood blockbuster movie, but amongst the worst of the money efforts.
By Ben / 2010-05-16 12:37:36The second of two reviews for Loading Screen of the 2 recent video game shorts, this one is Street Fighter Legacy, the first good live action Street Fighter
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There’s been a few Street Fighter films over the years, just about all of them have been reviewed here, but precious few of them get Street Fighter right. It’s staggering then that the fan-made Street Fighter Legacy is the only live action film I can think of that really does capture the feel of the games combat.
A bit of reading round reveals that Joey Ansah is a big reason for that, having worked on The Bourne Ultimatum, and putting a hell of a lot of effort, along with his cast, into making the fights as much like the game’s as possible.
The use of Japanese at the start is a great touch, again showing that this is a film made by fans, the same with the costumes and the smattering of recognisable moves. Ken certainly looks the part, Ryu too, although he lacks bulk compared to Ken. They look good together though, it’s not hard to picture them as friendly rivals with countless fights behind them.
It’s not all perfect, Akuma’s brief appearance is less than convincing. Granted it’s hard to imagine an actor who would look the part, save for lots of expensive make-up or CGI. There’s also a personal bugbear of mine, something the anime’s are guilty of, Ken lands his strongest move, the flaming Dragon-Punch, and Ryu just bounces back to his feat. It’s great that they threw it in, but it cheapens the move and makes it look feeble if it doesn’t even leave a mark.
Still though it’s the fighting that makes Legacy, and it’s the reason it’d be good to see Ansah and co given a chance at a full length film. It’s a fair criticism that the film doesn’t really go anywhere, and that it ends on a fairly weak cliché, but it’s still eminently more watchable than the Chun-Li film
Show/hide video
There’s been a few Street Fighter films over the years, just about all of them have been reviewed here, but precious few of them get Street Fighter right. It’s staggering then that the fan-made Street Fighter Legacy is the only live action film I can think of that really does capture the feel of the games combat.
A bit of reading round reveals that Joey Ansah is a big reason for that, having worked on The Bourne Ultimatum, and putting a hell of a lot of effort, along with his cast, into making the fights as much like the game’s as possible.
The use of Japanese at the start is a great touch, again showing that this is a film made by fans, the same with the costumes and the smattering of recognisable moves. Ken certainly looks the part, Ryu too, although he lacks bulk compared to Ken. They look good together though, it’s not hard to picture them as friendly rivals with countless fights behind them.
It’s not all perfect, Akuma’s brief appearance is less than convincing. Granted it’s hard to imagine an actor who would look the part, save for lots of expensive make-up or CGI. There’s also a personal bugbear of mine, something the anime’s are guilty of, Ken lands his strongest move, the flaming Dragon-Punch, and Ryu just bounces back to his feat. It’s great that they threw it in, but it cheapens the move and makes it look feeble if it doesn’t even leave a mark.
Still though it’s the fighting that makes Legacy, and it’s the reason it’d be good to see Ansah and co given a chance at a full length film. It’s a fair criticism that the film doesn’t really go anywhere, and that it ends on a fairly weak cliché, but it’s still eminently more watchable than the Chun-Li film
By Ben / 2010-05-16 12:28:59Two 'fan-made' short films were released this week, one for Fallout (below) and one for Street Fighter.
Loading Screen will be back with Prince of Persia at some point soon, but untill then here's both the shorts and reviews for each of them
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Let’s start with a massive compliment, in terms of creating a post-apocalyptic world, Fallout: Desert Story manages to hold its own against the likes of The Book Of Eli. Granted it uses one desert location, where as Eli explores vast wastelands, townships and meets Tom Waits. It’s the filter more than anything, the dirty-golden hue blooms across every scene, indicative of the level of care that went into this.
In fact it’s the direction that really excels in Fallout, perhaps helped by its short length, but each scene is considered. I think this over-direction, and I mean that in the nicest possible way, is what makes it feel like a video-game film. Super stylised and striking, videogame films, like videogames themselves should be striking.
The plot isn’t particularly involved or complex, that’s largely down to the run time, but it does do a reasonable job of displaying the dubious morality of the wasteland. Perhaps this is something that would only work with the Fallout games, but the one shot story does echo its source, given that the game was littered with side stories.
The acting is the real weakness to Desert Story, although that’s always a given with fan-made films. Picking from a limited cast it’s always hard to find the right ages, appearance and accent. It shows here with the brothel owners, neither of whom are necessarily bad actors, just an ill-fit for the roles they’re playing, especially given the insinuated twist towards the end.
All told it’s not a bad first attempt, and with any luck the second part will build on what’s already here. If they extend the running time and either throw in a more complex story, or more frequent and less comical combat, then it could end up being something a bit special. As it is it’s commendable, probably looks great in the portfolio, undoubtedly something to be proud of, but probably not up there with Metal Gear Philanthropy and the fan made Half-Life movie.
Loading Screen will be back with Prince of Persia at some point soon, but untill then here's both the shorts and reviews for each of them
Show/hide video
Let’s start with a massive compliment, in terms of creating a post-apocalyptic world, Fallout: Desert Story manages to hold its own against the likes of The Book Of Eli. Granted it uses one desert location, where as Eli explores vast wastelands, townships and meets Tom Waits. It’s the filter more than anything, the dirty-golden hue blooms across every scene, indicative of the level of care that went into this.
In fact it’s the direction that really excels in Fallout, perhaps helped by its short length, but each scene is considered. I think this over-direction, and I mean that in the nicest possible way, is what makes it feel like a video-game film. Super stylised and striking, videogame films, like videogames themselves should be striking.
The plot isn’t particularly involved or complex, that’s largely down to the run time, but it does do a reasonable job of displaying the dubious morality of the wasteland. Perhaps this is something that would only work with the Fallout games, but the one shot story does echo its source, given that the game was littered with side stories.
The acting is the real weakness to Desert Story, although that’s always a given with fan-made films. Picking from a limited cast it’s always hard to find the right ages, appearance and accent. It shows here with the brothel owners, neither of whom are necessarily bad actors, just an ill-fit for the roles they’re playing, especially given the insinuated twist towards the end.
All told it’s not a bad first attempt, and with any luck the second part will build on what’s already here. If they extend the running time and either throw in a more complex story, or more frequent and less comical combat, then it could end up being something a bit special. As it is it’s commendable, probably looks great in the portfolio, undoubtedly something to be proud of, but probably not up there with Metal Gear Philanthropy and the fan made Half-Life movie.
By Ben / 2010-02-28 19:20:40I'm pretty sure this is the last video game film for a while, probably until Tekken of King of Fighters, assuming they beat Prince of Persia out
This week though we've got Halo Legends, a collection of stories based on the Halo franchise contributed to by a variety of anime studios
It starts off quite well, the standard of the artwork takes you by surprise, indeed the sound too, I wasn’t expecting this kind of effort and investment to have been put in but I’m glad they did. The first 3 chapters act as a bit of background to the Halo series, how the Flood threatened the galaxy, and how they were temporarily defeated. It ends around the point the first game begins.
I’m not a fan of the games but still found enjoyment in these early sections. The back story is reasonably interesting, enough to interest a non-fan, and likely fascinating for the Halo hardcore. However the monologue is eye-rollingly preachy at points, indulgent at others, and at worst it starts to get a little boring.
Which is kind of the problem with the rest of the film, it’s aimed at fans. The Arbiter story seems quite interesting, but because of the format it’s incredibly truncated, there’s no background to it. It’s hard to appreciate any complexity to the politics surrounding the Arbiter when it’s just a series of reactions before a brief fight to the death. A shame too, because of all the stories that make up the Halo anime, this is potentially the most interesting, although its art style is probably the most divisive.
The change of pace for the next part is commendable, shifting from melodrama to comedy, but it falls flat. Again it looks great, and spotting the various references to Dragonball Z et al raises a smile, but the jokes are either terrible or simply don’t translate very well, but as I said it does at least break things up.
The remaining stories largely focus on the Spartans, which you imagine is what most people have paid to see. These various stories are a mixed bag, with the ‘Ghost’ story easily being the weakest. It’s the kind of insipid melodrama that represents anime at its worst, with even the lead characters moniker feeling horribly forced (he feels no emotion so he’s a ghost, get it?). Elsewhere we’re treated to a bit of back story as to the origins of the Spartans, again the truncated format is the problem here, you just never form an attachment to the characters, who seem to be constantly reacting to things rather than developing.
Perhaps this is only an issue if you don’t know much about the games, but there’s a theme of suspicion towards the Spartans running through most of the anime. This is never really explained, you’d think that you’d be pleased to have a near unbeatable super soldier by your side, but apparently not. Again this adds to the aimless moping, but we do at least get some action.
It’s a relief when Master Chief finally takes a starring role. Any navel-gazing goes out of the window and we get 20 minutes or so of galactic gunfights. A full anime of this would have been a bit too brainless, so credit does go to the teams for trying a variety of styles, but this section is easily the most cohesive. It also amplifies how little Master Chief there is in the rest of the anime, surprising to say the least.
There’s quite a lot of film here, and the animation standard is incredibly high. The problem is, if it wasn’t apparent from the rest of the review, it’s all a bit too truncated. You never become attached to anyone, which is why it was arguably a mistake not to include the familiar faces more, with the forced pacing destroying any character development. The truth is I found the majority of the film boring, it just never gets going, there’s the odd good moment, but without the readiness to enjoy it of someone obsessed with the franchise there’s not a lot there.
Conversely of course I’m sure Halo fans will adore it, particularly the parts that deal with the mythology. However the flaws will still be present which is why I’d recommend Halo fans temper their expectations.
This week though we've got Halo Legends, a collection of stories based on the Halo franchise contributed to by a variety of anime studios
It starts off quite well, the standard of the artwork takes you by surprise, indeed the sound too, I wasn’t expecting this kind of effort and investment to have been put in but I’m glad they did. The first 3 chapters act as a bit of background to the Halo series, how the Flood threatened the galaxy, and how they were temporarily defeated. It ends around the point the first game begins.
I’m not a fan of the games but still found enjoyment in these early sections. The back story is reasonably interesting, enough to interest a non-fan, and likely fascinating for the Halo hardcore. However the monologue is eye-rollingly preachy at points, indulgent at others, and at worst it starts to get a little boring.
Which is kind of the problem with the rest of the film, it’s aimed at fans. The Arbiter story seems quite interesting, but because of the format it’s incredibly truncated, there’s no background to it. It’s hard to appreciate any complexity to the politics surrounding the Arbiter when it’s just a series of reactions before a brief fight to the death. A shame too, because of all the stories that make up the Halo anime, this is potentially the most interesting, although its art style is probably the most divisive.
The change of pace for the next part is commendable, shifting from melodrama to comedy, but it falls flat. Again it looks great, and spotting the various references to Dragonball Z et al raises a smile, but the jokes are either terrible or simply don’t translate very well, but as I said it does at least break things up.
The remaining stories largely focus on the Spartans, which you imagine is what most people have paid to see. These various stories are a mixed bag, with the ‘Ghost’ story easily being the weakest. It’s the kind of insipid melodrama that represents anime at its worst, with even the lead characters moniker feeling horribly forced (he feels no emotion so he’s a ghost, get it?). Elsewhere we’re treated to a bit of back story as to the origins of the Spartans, again the truncated format is the problem here, you just never form an attachment to the characters, who seem to be constantly reacting to things rather than developing.
Perhaps this is only an issue if you don’t know much about the games, but there’s a theme of suspicion towards the Spartans running through most of the anime. This is never really explained, you’d think that you’d be pleased to have a near unbeatable super soldier by your side, but apparently not. Again this adds to the aimless moping, but we do at least get some action.
It’s a relief when Master Chief finally takes a starring role. Any navel-gazing goes out of the window and we get 20 minutes or so of galactic gunfights. A full anime of this would have been a bit too brainless, so credit does go to the teams for trying a variety of styles, but this section is easily the most cohesive. It also amplifies how little Master Chief there is in the rest of the anime, surprising to say the least.
There’s quite a lot of film here, and the animation standard is incredibly high. The problem is, if it wasn’t apparent from the rest of the review, it’s all a bit too truncated. You never become attached to anyone, which is why it was arguably a mistake not to include the familiar faces more, with the forced pacing destroying any character development. The truth is I found the majority of the film boring, it just never gets going, there’s the odd good moment, but without the readiness to enjoy it of someone obsessed with the franchise there’s not a lot there.
Conversely of course I’m sure Halo fans will adore it, particularly the parts that deal with the mythology. However the flaws will still be present which is why I’d recommend Halo fans temper their expectations.
By Ben / 2010-02-07 13:24:48Hurray Loading Screen's back! For the next couple of weeks anyway.
We've got the Halo anime next week, but this week EA and Starz's (plus a host of anime studios) Dante's Inferno.
I’ve complained many a time about films based on games messing around with their source material, but rarely do these films come out the same weekend as the game. In fairness the plot of Dante’s Inferno remains the same; Dante must enter hell to retrieve his lover Beatrice whom he betrayed. It’s the details they’ve changed that are a bit odd, such as how Dante came across his scythe, how he gets his body crucifix, and even the specifics of his interactions with the damned.
It perhaps doesn’t help things that I’m currently playing through the game, but the alterations to the games story is not necessarily a bad thing. The game doesn’t spend too much time filling in the blanks, so the extra detail in this anime is quite welcome. The only problem is when it doesn’t quite mesh with what’s gone before, or its source.
I’m not sure using the variety of anime studios was the best idea. It does seem to be the way these animated accompaniments work, but because Dante’s Inferno has a single narrative, rather than the usual episodic style, it doesn’t really work. While the studio seems to change with each new circle of hell, the only indication you get is a black title card. The result is jarring and confusing; the jump from the familiar Dante to a skin and bones version, then to a brick wall of a man, does the film no favours. When it first happens you wonder if it’s part of the narrative, that maybe time has passed since Dante entered the depths of hell.
The quality of the animation is a mixed bag. Generally the CG parts look quite good, but some of the background animations are laughably bad. Some of the animation styles are quite interesting, but you can’t help but wonder why Starz bothered hiring the other studios given the standard of what they’ve produced. Its also worth noting that none of the art styles match those seen in the game, which itself has a bit of variety.
One area that does excel is the sound. The score is well produced and of a high standard, the key thing is how well it’s used. It’s hard to tell if the acting is good or just sounds like it should be. Using the same cast as the game (to a point), the performances are full bombastic thespian, and while that maybe doesn’t suit the bloodshed, it does match the elevated tone EA are wishing for.
The anime is not as bloody as the game, it’s hardly restrained, rather it never dwells on one fight or situation for any length of time. This is actually a weakness of the film, it simply has no pacing, emotionlessly moving forward from hell circle to hell circle. It’s a shame, because Dante’s Inferno is littered with interesting characters from history, the kind of detail that would really add something to the franchise.
While Dante’s Inferno doesn’t do a whole lot wrong, it’s still far from essential. Indeed the problem with launching an animated accompaniment with your new game is that there’s no one who cares yet. You can imagine the Tekken and Street Fighter anime’s, even next weeks Halo anime, having their problems forgiven by rabid fans, but there’s no chance with Dante.
Not astounding then, fairly ordinarily in fact, but far from an embarrassment.
We've got the Halo anime next week, but this week EA and Starz's (plus a host of anime studios) Dante's Inferno.
I’ve complained many a time about films based on games messing around with their source material, but rarely do these films come out the same weekend as the game. In fairness the plot of Dante’s Inferno remains the same; Dante must enter hell to retrieve his lover Beatrice whom he betrayed. It’s the details they’ve changed that are a bit odd, such as how Dante came across his scythe, how he gets his body crucifix, and even the specifics of his interactions with the damned.
It perhaps doesn’t help things that I’m currently playing through the game, but the alterations to the games story is not necessarily a bad thing. The game doesn’t spend too much time filling in the blanks, so the extra detail in this anime is quite welcome. The only problem is when it doesn’t quite mesh with what’s gone before, or its source.
I’m not sure using the variety of anime studios was the best idea. It does seem to be the way these animated accompaniments work, but because Dante’s Inferno has a single narrative, rather than the usual episodic style, it doesn’t really work. While the studio seems to change with each new circle of hell, the only indication you get is a black title card. The result is jarring and confusing; the jump from the familiar Dante to a skin and bones version, then to a brick wall of a man, does the film no favours. When it first happens you wonder if it’s part of the narrative, that maybe time has passed since Dante entered the depths of hell.
The quality of the animation is a mixed bag. Generally the CG parts look quite good, but some of the background animations are laughably bad. Some of the animation styles are quite interesting, but you can’t help but wonder why Starz bothered hiring the other studios given the standard of what they’ve produced. Its also worth noting that none of the art styles match those seen in the game, which itself has a bit of variety.
One area that does excel is the sound. The score is well produced and of a high standard, the key thing is how well it’s used. It’s hard to tell if the acting is good or just sounds like it should be. Using the same cast as the game (to a point), the performances are full bombastic thespian, and while that maybe doesn’t suit the bloodshed, it does match the elevated tone EA are wishing for.
The anime is not as bloody as the game, it’s hardly restrained, rather it never dwells on one fight or situation for any length of time. This is actually a weakness of the film, it simply has no pacing, emotionlessly moving forward from hell circle to hell circle. It’s a shame, because Dante’s Inferno is littered with interesting characters from history, the kind of detail that would really add something to the franchise.
While Dante’s Inferno doesn’t do a whole lot wrong, it’s still far from essential. Indeed the problem with launching an animated accompaniment with your new game is that there’s no one who cares yet. You can imagine the Tekken and Street Fighter anime’s, even next weeks Halo anime, having their problems forgiven by rabid fans, but there’s no chance with Dante.
Not astounding then, fairly ordinarily in fact, but far from an embarrassment.
By Ben / 2010-01-01 20:23:14And so Loading Screen comes to an end, as a regular feature at least. There's been one or two pleasant surprises along the way, but mostly the films have been fairly awful, though perhaps not as irredeemable as you might have heard.
I think next up is either Dante's Inferno or Halo in anime form, but until then enjoy Street Fighter, it's something of a classic
There is one reason to watch Street Fighter, and that reason is Raul Julia. If you’ve seen the film then you already know this, if you haven’t then you cannot appreciate how good his performance was in comparison to the quality of the film until you accept defeat and watch it.
It doesn’t take a genius to work out that Street Fighter is not a great film, though bizarrely it’s a better one now than when it was released. It also doesn’t take a hardcore Street Fighter fan to know that the source material hasn’t been treated with the greatest of respect. I’m sure most fans would be willing to let Chun-Li being a reporter rather than an agent slide, but E. Honda and Balrog being her assistants? Balrog is particularly galling as he should be working for Bison, unlike DJ who shouldn’t. It gets worse, Guile’s friend Charlie is apparently Blanka, and I’m not sure which is worse out of Dhalsim now being a scientist, and Ryu and Ken being conmen.
So it’s not even as though you can claim this is a film for the fans, as they’re likely to be the most annoyed by it. What I do think has become clearer as time’s passed, or perhaps time itself has added the perspective, is that the film is incredibly camp. Almost every other line is some stupid wisecrack, there’s ridiculous slapstick, toys as weapons, a Godzilla parody, and even words like ’Bisonopolis’. The problem is that there’s the inescapable sense that it was played serious rather than as farce.
Julia is undoubtedly the star performer, but it’s not as though the rest of the acting is all that bad. It’s not great, but performances are hampered by the script more than the actors ability. Van Damme is hard to like, but he fills the screen with character, unfortunately without Guile Street Fighter might have been a more cohesive film. Balrog and E. Honda on the other hand are very watchable, as is Zangief surprisingly. None of the performances (bar Julia’s) are award worthy, and I don’t mean to give that impression, but there’s only a handful of genuinely bad performances.
While Street Fighter undoubtedly gets a lot wrong, it does make a few nods to the games. Towards the end of the film there’s special moves a plenty, and some of them are done quite well too. Guile’s flash kick is a highlight, Ken’s dragon punch is not, and Bison’s hovering brings us one of the greatest lines ever (“It levitates bullet trains from Tokyo to Osaka. It levitates my desk, where I ride the saddle of the world. And it levitates... Me!”). There’s also the nod to E. Honda’s stage in the gym, a few quotes from the game, and even the full collection of win poses at the end.
I can’t believe I’m writing this, maybe it’s a sign that I’ve been doing this too long, but I actually enjoyed Street Fighter this time round. That’s not to say it’s good, more that it’s come full circle and can be enjoyed ironically, like the 60’s Batman film. It’s sad that this was Raul Julia’s final film, and even sadder to see how thin he looks, but at least he left us with a special performance. If by some miracle you haven’t seen Street Fighter I do suggest you give it a watch, if only because it’s a ‘classic’ of video game adaptations.
I think next up is either Dante's Inferno or Halo in anime form, but until then enjoy Street Fighter, it's something of a classic
There is one reason to watch Street Fighter, and that reason is Raul Julia. If you’ve seen the film then you already know this, if you haven’t then you cannot appreciate how good his performance was in comparison to the quality of the film until you accept defeat and watch it.
It doesn’t take a genius to work out that Street Fighter is not a great film, though bizarrely it’s a better one now than when it was released. It also doesn’t take a hardcore Street Fighter fan to know that the source material hasn’t been treated with the greatest of respect. I’m sure most fans would be willing to let Chun-Li being a reporter rather than an agent slide, but E. Honda and Balrog being her assistants? Balrog is particularly galling as he should be working for Bison, unlike DJ who shouldn’t. It gets worse, Guile’s friend Charlie is apparently Blanka, and I’m not sure which is worse out of Dhalsim now being a scientist, and Ryu and Ken being conmen.
So it’s not even as though you can claim this is a film for the fans, as they’re likely to be the most annoyed by it. What I do think has become clearer as time’s passed, or perhaps time itself has added the perspective, is that the film is incredibly camp. Almost every other line is some stupid wisecrack, there’s ridiculous slapstick, toys as weapons, a Godzilla parody, and even words like ’Bisonopolis’. The problem is that there’s the inescapable sense that it was played serious rather than as farce.
Julia is undoubtedly the star performer, but it’s not as though the rest of the acting is all that bad. It’s not great, but performances are hampered by the script more than the actors ability. Van Damme is hard to like, but he fills the screen with character, unfortunately without Guile Street Fighter might have been a more cohesive film. Balrog and E. Honda on the other hand are very watchable, as is Zangief surprisingly. None of the performances (bar Julia’s) are award worthy, and I don’t mean to give that impression, but there’s only a handful of genuinely bad performances.
While Street Fighter undoubtedly gets a lot wrong, it does make a few nods to the games. Towards the end of the film there’s special moves a plenty, and some of them are done quite well too. Guile’s flash kick is a highlight, Ken’s dragon punch is not, and Bison’s hovering brings us one of the greatest lines ever (“It levitates bullet trains from Tokyo to Osaka. It levitates my desk, where I ride the saddle of the world. And it levitates... Me!”). There’s also the nod to E. Honda’s stage in the gym, a few quotes from the game, and even the full collection of win poses at the end.
I can’t believe I’m writing this, maybe it’s a sign that I’ve been doing this too long, but I actually enjoyed Street Fighter this time round. That’s not to say it’s good, more that it’s come full circle and can be enjoyed ironically, like the 60’s Batman film. It’s sad that this was Raul Julia’s final film, and even sadder to see how thin he looks, but at least he left us with a special performance. If by some miracle you haven’t seen Street Fighter I do suggest you give it a watch, if only because it’s a ‘classic’ of video game adaptations.
By Ben / 2009-12-31 08:00:17So close to being done and free from having to watch old videogame films! Our penultimate film for the regular run of Loading screen is Wing Commander, a film I'd never previously seen.
Assuming my new years isn't massive, the final fim should be up tomorrow
While everyone knows that we British are the greatest actors in the world, this is just fact and cannot be argued with, a large proportion of Brits in a film is indicative of one of two things. Either this is a high quality drama that needs an air of grandeur, likely a period piece, or British actors were used because they’re cheaper and this is not going to be a big budget film. I’ll let you decide which category Wing Commander falls into.
One thing the large number of Brits does allow for is a quick game of ‘before they were famous’, as future stars of Casualty and Coronation Street are tasked with just sounding like they’re on a boat or submarine or something. The acting in general isn’t anything special, the likes of Suchet and Karyo aside, as they both shine in roles that are largely beneath them. It’s not that the other performances are bad, it’s more that everyone else lacks the presence to carry the seriousness of tone through something as trivial as Wing Commander.
Rosie for example is a tough talking man-eater, similar in type to Vasquez from Aliens, only it’s all quite unconvincing. The same with Lillard’s character (last seen in Dungeon Siege), he plays to type by being cocky, brash and irresponsible, but commands such little respect that he should mocked relentlessly by the more senior pilots at every opportunity. Prinze Jr feels particularly sorry for himself for most of the films, though is better in the brief moments where he’s being mature rather than whiny.
Perhaps it’s not the fault of the actors, more that the casting and tone of the film don’t mesh with that of the script. For example there’s the habit of ‘forgetting’ people when they die, on paper this would read quite serious and dramatic, but on screen it makes you wonder why no one’s told them to grow up.
Another example of the tone of script and final product not meshing is the racism angle. Prinze Jr’s character is half human, half ‘Pilgrim’, who I think are also humans, just humans who are very good at space travel. Regardless the Pilgrims aren’t trusted, and so neither if Prinze Jr. I talked about how laboured the racism angle was in Pokemon, here it’s probably even worse, if only because it’s so frequent and so out of place. The humans have treaties with alien races, yet can’t still have prejudices against segments of their own species based on nothing more than them being good at maths.
The special effects are a mixed bag, hardly surprising considering the film came out 10 years ago, but it is nice to see that some parts have aged well. The cat like aliens you see at the end of the film are horrendously bad, too stiff, and just generally cheap looking. The ships themselves look ok, considering, and the action is decent enough, although there isn’t a staggering amount of it. That said the film does move at a bit of a pace, there’s very little build up, but then character progression happens absurdly quickly.
There’s a few other quirks that add to Wing Commander looking cheap, the use of MiniDiscs to carry important encrypted data for example. Given that the format barely made it out of the 20th century, I can’t see it getting a resurgence in the 27th. That said Wing Commander was surprisingly watchable for a bad film. The sort of thing you’d watch on a bank holiday because you don’t want to get out of bed. With a bigger budget and a better cast it might actually have troubled the higher echelons of the video game film genre, feint praise perhaps. But as it is it’s not worth recommending, despite it being far from the worst film around.
Assuming my new years isn't massive, the final fim should be up tomorrow
While everyone knows that we British are the greatest actors in the world, this is just fact and cannot be argued with, a large proportion of Brits in a film is indicative of one of two things. Either this is a high quality drama that needs an air of grandeur, likely a period piece, or British actors were used because they’re cheaper and this is not going to be a big budget film. I’ll let you decide which category Wing Commander falls into.
One thing the large number of Brits does allow for is a quick game of ‘before they were famous’, as future stars of Casualty and Coronation Street are tasked with just sounding like they’re on a boat or submarine or something. The acting in general isn’t anything special, the likes of Suchet and Karyo aside, as they both shine in roles that are largely beneath them. It’s not that the other performances are bad, it’s more that everyone else lacks the presence to carry the seriousness of tone through something as trivial as Wing Commander.
Rosie for example is a tough talking man-eater, similar in type to Vasquez from Aliens, only it’s all quite unconvincing. The same with Lillard’s character (last seen in Dungeon Siege), he plays to type by being cocky, brash and irresponsible, but commands such little respect that he should mocked relentlessly by the more senior pilots at every opportunity. Prinze Jr feels particularly sorry for himself for most of the films, though is better in the brief moments where he’s being mature rather than whiny.
Perhaps it’s not the fault of the actors, more that the casting and tone of the film don’t mesh with that of the script. For example there’s the habit of ‘forgetting’ people when they die, on paper this would read quite serious and dramatic, but on screen it makes you wonder why no one’s told them to grow up.
Another example of the tone of script and final product not meshing is the racism angle. Prinze Jr’s character is half human, half ‘Pilgrim’, who I think are also humans, just humans who are very good at space travel. Regardless the Pilgrims aren’t trusted, and so neither if Prinze Jr. I talked about how laboured the racism angle was in Pokemon, here it’s probably even worse, if only because it’s so frequent and so out of place. The humans have treaties with alien races, yet can’t still have prejudices against segments of their own species based on nothing more than them being good at maths.
The special effects are a mixed bag, hardly surprising considering the film came out 10 years ago, but it is nice to see that some parts have aged well. The cat like aliens you see at the end of the film are horrendously bad, too stiff, and just generally cheap looking. The ships themselves look ok, considering, and the action is decent enough, although there isn’t a staggering amount of it. That said the film does move at a bit of a pace, there’s very little build up, but then character progression happens absurdly quickly.
There’s a few other quirks that add to Wing Commander looking cheap, the use of MiniDiscs to carry important encrypted data for example. Given that the format barely made it out of the 20th century, I can’t see it getting a resurgence in the 27th. That said Wing Commander was surprisingly watchable for a bad film. The sort of thing you’d watch on a bank holiday because you don’t want to get out of bed. With a bigger budget and a better cast it might actually have troubled the higher echelons of the video game film genre, feint praise perhaps. But as it is it’s not worth recommending, despite it being far from the worst film around.
By Ben / 2009-12-24 07:44:23As we come to the end of Loading screen as a regular feature, I figured I'd end the year with them. So here's your christmas Pokemon review, with 2 more before the year's out. Enjoy
While the emotions dealt with in the Animal Crossing film were surprisingly complex, surely Pokemon would be more kid friendly? Yes and no, yes there are lots of pokemon throwing down, but there’s also a perverse starkness to the whole thing.
Y’see this first Pokemon movie is actually surprisingly dark. Literally at times, as the bright colours of the cartoon series take a back seat to greys, dark blues, and a smattering of black. Mew Two’s malevolence and nihilism is not something you’d expect to see from a Nintendo property.
Mew Two is disillusioned by his creation, cloned from Mew, and designed to serve humans. His increased power means he sees humans as inferior, and if he isn’t destined to follow his supposed masters then his life lacks meaning. He soon assigns himself a slightly confused raison d’etre, that he’s going to bring together the worlds best pokemon trainers, clone their pokemon, then ‘dispose’ of them and take over the world.
The film’s very front loaded, all the development and realisation of Mew Two’s character happens before the opening credits have even rolled. The vast majority of the film is spent on the build up to a massive multi-pokemon fight, where Mew Two’s clones take on the originals. The fight is pretty decent, with lots of pokemon going at it, even if their use of powers are limited, but it‘s probably not worth the build up.
Considering this was released in cinemas worldwide, it’s perhaps a little too close to the tv series than it really should be. It’s hardly the longest film, and as such the structure feels truncated. There’s also the use of the theme tune, which kind of exacerbates the feeling of familiarity. To be fair though, while a lot of the art and animation isn’t anything special, there are quite a few moments where added care has been taken, and a few more advanced techniques are used. It almost feels at times like their a little too showy, not included because they’re needed, nor because of an increased budget, only as a way to mark this out from the regular cartoon.
While the plot is actually quite interesting, if a tad hackneyed for anyone with a bit of anime experience behind them, it takes a dive at the end. The pokemon learn that even though they were born different, that’s no reason to hate each other. “How can I trust you, you were born different?” says Meowth as his clone suggests they stop fighting. Even Mew Two learns his lesson, as in one of the most cynical attempts at upsetting children I’ve ever seen, Ash throws himself in the way of Mew and Mew Two’s battle.
It’s a shame it gets so insufferably soppy at the end, as up until that point there’d been plenty of action, some interesting characters in Mew and Mew Two, and even some funny one liners (“Who’s that pokemon?”). Probably not worth watching if you’re not a Pokemon fan, although it’s hardly a chore to sit through. Decent stuff all things considered.
While the emotions dealt with in the Animal Crossing film were surprisingly complex, surely Pokemon would be more kid friendly? Yes and no, yes there are lots of pokemon throwing down, but there’s also a perverse starkness to the whole thing.
Y’see this first Pokemon movie is actually surprisingly dark. Literally at times, as the bright colours of the cartoon series take a back seat to greys, dark blues, and a smattering of black. Mew Two’s malevolence and nihilism is not something you’d expect to see from a Nintendo property.
Mew Two is disillusioned by his creation, cloned from Mew, and designed to serve humans. His increased power means he sees humans as inferior, and if he isn’t destined to follow his supposed masters then his life lacks meaning. He soon assigns himself a slightly confused raison d’etre, that he’s going to bring together the worlds best pokemon trainers, clone their pokemon, then ‘dispose’ of them and take over the world.
The film’s very front loaded, all the development and realisation of Mew Two’s character happens before the opening credits have even rolled. The vast majority of the film is spent on the build up to a massive multi-pokemon fight, where Mew Two’s clones take on the originals. The fight is pretty decent, with lots of pokemon going at it, even if their use of powers are limited, but it‘s probably not worth the build up.
Considering this was released in cinemas worldwide, it’s perhaps a little too close to the tv series than it really should be. It’s hardly the longest film, and as such the structure feels truncated. There’s also the use of the theme tune, which kind of exacerbates the feeling of familiarity. To be fair though, while a lot of the art and animation isn’t anything special, there are quite a few moments where added care has been taken, and a few more advanced techniques are used. It almost feels at times like their a little too showy, not included because they’re needed, nor because of an increased budget, only as a way to mark this out from the regular cartoon.
While the plot is actually quite interesting, if a tad hackneyed for anyone with a bit of anime experience behind them, it takes a dive at the end. The pokemon learn that even though they were born different, that’s no reason to hate each other. “How can I trust you, you were born different?” says Meowth as his clone suggests they stop fighting. Even Mew Two learns his lesson, as in one of the most cynical attempts at upsetting children I’ve ever seen, Ash throws himself in the way of Mew and Mew Two’s battle.
It’s a shame it gets so insufferably soppy at the end, as up until that point there’d been plenty of action, some interesting characters in Mew and Mew Two, and even some funny one liners (“Who’s that pokemon?”). Probably not worth watching if you’re not a Pokemon fan, although it’s hardly a chore to sit through. Decent stuff all things considered.
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