The Avengers: Age of Ultron Review

The Avengers: Age of Ultron, sequel to 2012's The Avengers, is anything and everything you want it to be. It's a complete smorgasbord of action, funniness, and hammy accents that make up the biggest movie of the year, and is a worthy conclusion to Marvel Studio's second phase of films (OK, we're not completely finished. Don't forget about Ant-Man). It also serves as a launchpad for Marvel's next phase of films, and is filled to the brim with easter eggs that set up future Marvel movies. It introduces the heroes that we all remember, like Iron Man, Captain America and Thor, as well as new additions to the Avengers roster, such as twins Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, as well as the mysterious android known as the Vision, to band together to defeat Tony Stark's failed peacekeeping program Ultron from destroying all of mankind. The only problem is that Ultron has an army. Luckily for the Avengers, they have a Hulk.

Avengers: Age of Ultron Official Movie Poster. It's unfortunate that it looks a little crowded.

The movie takes place after the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The villianous terrorist organization Hydra has stolen Loki's scepter, as seen as the first Avengers film. This brings the Avengers, namely Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye and Black Widow, to Baron Wolfgang von Strucker's doorstep, a Hydra leader who has been experimenting with the scepter. Standing in their way are two muta-- *cough* oops, sorry Fox. *ahem* Two "Enhanced" fighters stand in their way. Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, also known as Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch in the comics, volunteered for Strucker's experiments with the scepter, giving Wanda the powers of telekinesis and giving Pietro superhuman speed. They also hold a lifelong grudge against Tony Stark when one of Stark Industries' bombs killed their parents. Tony Stark retrieves the scepter, and the group returns back to Avengers Tower, set up in Manhattan, New York, in place of Stark's original tower in the first film. Stark and Bruce Banner discover an Artificial Intelligence in the gem inside the scepter, and use it to complete Stark's global peacekeeping program, Ultron. But of course, nothing is ever that easy, so Ultron decides that in order to protect the earth, he must destroy all of the humans living on it.

The Avengers' base of operations used to be Stark Tower in the first film, but was reconstructed to fit the newly-formed team's needs.

The movie has a much darker tone to it, with much of it having to do with the eerie visions that are the effect of Scarlet Witch's mysterious powers. The first Avengers had more of a light hearted feel to it, and while Age of Ultron definitely has its funny moments, the movie as a whole is much darker. This isn't a bad thing. This makes the cast act out the characters in ways we've never seen before, and it's fantastic to see it get played out on the big screen. Ultron is also a very "worthy" villain. Underneath that robotic skin and motion-capture technology is none other than James Spader, who brings the character to life in the best way possible. Seeing as Ultron was modeled after Tony Stark's brash personality, you would think that Spader's character has it's comedic moments; and he does. Ultron succeeds in being funny as much as he does threatening.

James Spader is known for playing fantastic villains,
and his portrayal of Ultron is one that should never be overlooked.

Director Joss Whedon had a very difficult task when putting this movie together, and that was to effectively balance it's enormous cast. And that's not easy when you have six original Avengers, three newcomers, a giant killer robot and a plethora of supporting characters. But Whedon succeeds almost flawlessly in giving each and every character the respect they deserve. Even Vision, who appears towards the end of the film, gets exactly what he deserves. Paul Bettany, who previously voiced Tony's A.I. butler J.A.R.V.I.S., is by far my favourite part of the film. Vision looks fantastic, and Bettany's portrayal of the character is exactly what you would expect from the Vision in the comics. You've just got to love that British accent.

Doesn't that just look AWESOME?!

This movie is fantastic, but it's not perfect. My two biggest complaints go to various problems with Quicksilver's character and some issues with the action sequences. Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Quicksilver is one of the weaker links that connect this mega-movie together. His origin story is completely explained in one short conversation when the Avengers confront him and Ultron. No flashback, no details, nothing. It's disappointing to not have two of the films biggest additions get a proper origin story, and the setting of the conversation would make a perfect place for a quick flashback. But alas, all we get is a description in a laughably lame accent.

Some of the film's CGI-fueled action scenes can be very difficult to follow. For example, in the long-awaited fight between the Hulk and Iron Man's Hulkbuster armor (codenamed "Veronica" in the film. See if you can figure out that reference), while the two are fighting through the streets and up buildings, the camera is so zoomed in, you start to think you're watching one of Michael Bay's Transformers movies instead of a giant green rage monster fighting a suit of armor.

Tony Stark's "Veronica" suit can be summoned via satellite and forms around his Mark  43 armor.
It was specially designed to combat the hulk in case he went on a rampage.

The movie also (somewhat) follows the Hero's Journey archetype. The Hero's Journey is a narrative pattern discovered by American scholar Joseph Campbell that describes the path that a hero takes throughout a story that involves the hero's everyday life, which leads up to a crisis and eventually a resolution. In Age of Ultron, the Status Quo, or the hero's everyday life, consists of the Avengers going on missions to clean up the rest of Hydra's forces around the world and find and retrieve Loki's scepter that Baron Strucker stole from them. Steps 1 and 2, the Call to Adventure and Assistance, would be when the Avengers realize that Ultron is all over the globe and they need to defeat him together, receiving assistance from one another as well as supporting characters, like Nick Fury or Colonel Rhodes/War Machine. The Avengers travel to all sorts of different locations, such as Seoul and the fictional countries of Wakanda and Sokovia, so step 3, Departure, is when they leave to accomplish their various missions in those places. Step 4, or Trials, are the various hurdles that they face along the way, such as when the Hulk goes on a rampage in Wakanda, or when they need to steal the Vision's body from Ultron in Seoul. Steps 5 and 6, also known as the Approach and Crisis, are when the Avengers evacuate everyone from Sokovia and battle Ultron on the floating city. Step 7, or the Treasure, was tricky. I found Age of Ultron to not have a treasure. I don't think you could consider saving the day a treasure, because it happens so often in movies, and (spoiler alert) the Avengers disband and lose one of their own in the end, so the movie ends on somewhat of a low note. Step 8, or the Result, is simply that the world is saved, and that the Avengers have disbanded. Step 9, or the Return, could be when Thor returns to Asgard to further investigate the mysterious Infinity Stones, but none of the other Avengers necessarily have a Return. Tony Stark has retired as Iron Man (for now), Hulk is off the grid, and Q########## is dead, leaving the Captain and Black Widow to train a new team of Avengers with Scarlet Witch and Vision. Step 10, the New Life, is exactly that. The members have gone their separate ways to do their own thing. Finally, step 11, the Resolution, is that there is a new team of Avengers ready to take the place of those who have left.

Check out the film's 3rd trailer, showcasing some of the awesome action.

Going back to what I said earlier, Age of Ultron is exactly what you want it to be; a gargantuan blockbuster filled with action. And Joss Whedon succeeds amazingly; making this a worthy sequel to 2012's The Avengers and an effective launchpad for more to come. The cast feel so natural playing their roles; "Spadertron" is the best villain that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has seen yet. You won't have more fun watching any other movie than this one in 2015. While there were a few bumps along the way, the latest (and greatest) entry in the MCU concludes Phase 2 with a bang, and opens it's doors to all sorts of movies in Phase 3, leading up to the ultimate climax in The Avengers: Infinity War parts I and II in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Now we just need to wait three more years.

Final Rating: 9 out of 10









And for god's sake, Cap, watch your language!

Shrek - Review

"Just another one of DreamWorks' wacky ideas." That's what you might have thought when you heard a movie about a giant green ogre was coming to theatres back in 2001. Who knew ogres could be so loved by everyone the world over. "Shrek" is known today as one of the biggest and most popular animated movie series of all time, due to its lovable characters and quirky humor and dialogue, which has quickly made it a fan-favourite.

"The greatest fairy tale never told."

The movie revolves around Shrek (Mike Myers), an ogre living in a swamp who enjoys his solitude from other creatures. He also enjoys scaring the local townsfolk as sport when they come to raid his home. He plans to remain in isolation forever when he plans to build a wall around his swamp. He is interrupted when a group of fairy-tale characters arrive at his home, being exiled there by Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow). Shrek enlists the help of Donkey (Eddie Murphy) to guide him to Farquaad's castle, located in the city of Duloc. The duo quickly run into trouble when they are thrust into a tournament set up by Farquaad. The winner is to rescue the Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) in her dragon-guarded keep. Donkey and Shrek effortlessly knock out all of the competitors in the arena, and agree to rescue Fiona on the condition that Farquaad gets rid of all of the fairy-tale creatures that he banished to Shrek's swamp.

A legacy begins with a bucket of mud.

After rescuing the princess and revealing to her that he's an ogre, Fiona isn't all that pleased. But over the course of the story, the two gradually become closer, and... well, we all know what happens at the end right? Keep in mind though, that this isn't a love drama. The movie is filled to the brim with hilarious jokes, punchlines and dialogue, with some lines becoming rather famous on the internet, and Myers' and Murphy's banter is absolutely hilarious.

"Ogres are like onions!"

The movie did exceptionally well at the box office as well, earning $484.4 million in it's entire run. The series as a whole is the tenth highest-grossing franchise of all time, as well as being the highest-grossing animated franchise of all time. It also has an exceptional soundtrack, with the band Smash Mouth singing the incredibly catchy opening theme "All Star," among other groups and individuals.

Music video for All-Star, by Smash Mouth. "Hey now, you're an all-star..."

Overall, "Shrek" has become a classic that everyone will always treasure, and never fails to make you laugh. Even though the series as a whole has come to a close, this legendary scottish ogre will never truly leave, and his wisecracks and unique humour won't either. It turns out "another one of DreamWorks' wacky ideas" was true in that this guy's story underlines the word "wacky," but in the best way possible.

The good:

+Hilarious dialogue

+Awesome soundtrack

+Remains one of the best animated movies to this day

The bad:

-None that I can think of!

Final rating: 9 out of 10

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U - Review

Say hello to the series that has revolutionized the fighting game genre in video games: Super Smash Bros., first introduced in 1999 for the Nintendo 64, has become one of the most popular fighting games in the community today. The latest installment in the hit series, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, improves and builds upon its predecessors in every way. With endless hours of smashing good fun, hundreds of collectables, and the largest roster yet, you'll have a hard time putting down this masterpiece of a game.

See if you can name all of the fighters in this picture.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U maintains the unique fighting mechanics of the series, which centers around attacking your opponent to increase their damage, and then launching them off the screen to win a KO. The more damage your opponent has taken, the farther they'll fly when they get launched. This style has never been seen before in a fighting game, and has been met with critical acclaim. In addition to the game's standard "Smash" mode, there are several other modes that take you to all sorts of wacky places. For example, a mode exclusive to the Wii U version of the game, Smash Tour, is unique in that you play as Mii Characters and chase each other around a game board, battling each other as you go. Or you could go to the Vault and gaze upon your Trophy collection. Or you could look at some of the challenges you have yet to complete. There are 140 challenges in the game. Some of them will be a cakewalk, while others require an INSANE level of skill and strategy to beat. For example: Clear Classic on Intensity 9.0 without losing a single stock. Not just anyone is able to do that right off the bat. I only just managed to scrape by spamming Lucario's Double Team special move. The team really went all out when thinking up these challenges, and while some of them can be incredibly infuriating, they provide a lot of replay value.

This is the game's opening cinematic.

Another astounding feat is the all-new 8-Player Smash, which involves --you guessed it-- 8 players duking it out instead of the usual four. If you thought four players can get hectic, you haven't seen anything yet.With such a colourful cast of characters, having 8 of them going wild all at once is the most fun I've had in a long time; if I can manage to find one of the extremely elusive GameCube adapters for a fair price. With characters ranging from Nintendo's all-star Mario to lesser-known characters like Shulk from 2010's critically-acclaimed Xenoblade Chronicles. Even 3rd-Party characters join the fray in the form of newcomers Capcom's Mega Man, Namco Bandai's Pac-Man, and the return of Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog. There's plenty of stages and new items this time around, such as the visually impressive Orbital Gate Assault, to the dreaded Blue Shell that has been ruining friendships for years over in Mario Kart. Unfortunately, there aren't as many new stages than Super Smash Bros. Brawl had, and instead, we get many more returning stages from previous installments. It isn't really a bad thing, but I was expecting more. A new feature allows you to create fighters based on Miis, Nintendo's customizable avatars. These fighters come in three different classes; Brawler, Swordfighter and Gunner, and each one provides a different way to play. With 51 characters to choose from, there will never be a time where you get bored with everyone.

20 years ago, you'd get laughed out of the room if you ever said that these gaming icons would ever be in a game together. There's only one game where that's possible.

Unfortunately, Smash Wii U has a bit of a spotty online performance. While it's definitely a step up from it's 3DS counterpart's lagfest of a mode, more often than not, the button input lag and dropped frames severely hinders the fun. Even when playing with friends, the connection frequently starts lagging and can cause mistakes in battle. It definitely must be improved, and it's because of that that I've strayed away from online mode.

When playing with people around the world, online mode is split into two modes. For Fun offers 4-player action with all items on all stages. For Glory offers intense matches that are only played on Final Destination. So basically, you get more lag in For Fun, and slightly less in For Glory.

Another selling point for the game is that it's the first to be compatible with Nintendo's amiibo figures, little toys that you can scan in on the GamePad. You can then train them up to level 50, and while I still haven't done that yet, I've seen that they can be ferocious on the battlefield. Unfortunately, they don't do much else than look pretty, and that has become a problem when buying them. amiibo turned out to be wildly popular, which can make certain figures nearly impossible to find, usually because of greedy scalpers that buy them all up and sell them on eBay for five times their original price. The "Holy Trinity" of wave one, being Marth, Villager and Wii Fit Trainer, are some of the toughest ones to find. Luckily, Marth will be getting a restock later this year. amiibo is one of those "I-never-thought-that-I-would-get-this-far" projects, and I must say, I'm quite fed up that I haven't found a single Captain Falcon since the day of it's release. I can only hope that Nintendo learns from their mistakes.

Nintendo's most ambitious plan yet is more of a hassle than it is an enjoyment.

Overall, I think Smash Bros. for Wii U is a masterpiece in the gaming industry, and is one of the best, if not THE best game for Nintendo's struggling console that is out right now. With hours upon hours of replay value, incredibly fun gameplay, and gorgeous visuals, this is one game that you WILL not want to miss. Now, I'm off to eBay to cough up $80 for a Rosalina amiibo.

The good:

+Endless hours of replay value

+Undeniably fun gameplay

+Gorgeous visuals

+Lots of collectables

The Bad:

-Unsatisfactory online performance

-lackluster amiibo support

Final Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Septimus Heap : Book One - Review

When my aunt gave me this book to me for my thirteenth birthday last year, I passed it off as another generic story about wizards and magic and evil people trying to take over some random kingdom. And yes, that’s exactly what I found. The Septimus Heap series is chock full of spells, humour, weird names and charm; and pulls it all off magnificently. The story centers around a young wizard named Septimus, and his various adventures with his adoptive sister Jenna. The first book in the series, “Magyk,” tells the origins of the colourful cast of characters. This is where it all began.

The cover of Magyk.

Magyk begins with wizard Silas Heap returning to his family and newborn son, Septimus, on a cold winter night. During his trek, he discovers a young baby girl that had been seemingly abandoned in the snow. He takes the baby back to his house in the castle, only to be greeted by the midwife running past him with his newborn son in her hands, dead. Silas and his wife, Sarah, agree to raise the baby girl in Septimus’ place. They name her Jenna. Several months later, the word has gotten out that the current Queen of the castle has been assassinated, and that the castle had been taken over by the Supreme Custodian. The Queen’s daughter has also gone missing. Sarah and Silas realizes that Jenna is the missing princess, and decide to keep it a secret to everyone.

Ten years later, Jenna is whisked away by the ExtraOrdinary Wizard, Marcia Overstrand, in order to protect her from the same assassin that had murdered her mother ten years earlier. In doing so, they encounter a young boy in the Young Army, simply named Boy 412, who also accompany them on their travels. He is eventually revealed to be Septimus Heap, Silas’ and Sarah’s long-lost son. The group are chased to the Marram Marshes by the Hunter, sent by the Supreme Custodian to retrieve Jenna and bring her back to the palace so she can join the same fate that her mother once did.

Illustrator Mark Zug's depiction of Septimus, as shown in the books.

While the story may seem like your average “lost-baby-that’s-raised-by-another-family” style, it quickly blossoms into a fantastic tale that will always make you want to keep flipping the pages. Author Angie Sage has created a world that has us locked in our beds reading, and enjoying every word. With so many quirky and interesting characters, funny dialogue, and the weirdest names you’ll ever come across, this is one novel that you will never want to stop reading.

However, I do feel like some of the characters are a little underdeveloped. For example, Marcia Overstrand, plays a large role in the story as Jenna’s protector from the Hunter. Yet, she didn't really resonate with me very well throughout the story. Her past isn't explored very much until later novels, and I wasn't really impressed with her character all the time. It’s not enough to bog down the rest of the cast however.

Interview with Angie Sage, discussing the future of the series, her thoughts on the story and it's characters, 

as well as info on "The Magykal Papers," a supplementary book to the main series.

Overall, this book, and the series as a whole, has the power to move in the direction of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. A well-balanced cast, whimsical world with even more creatures and a fantastic story makes this a real page turner that you won't want to miss if you love the genre. Certain characters could have used a bit more backbone behind their backstory, but it’s only minor. The moment you hop into this Magykal world, you won't want to stop until you've read all seven installments in this amazing series. Better get started.

The Good:

+Amazing story

+Hilarious cast of characters

+A masterpiece in terms of writing

The Bad:

-Some characters are slightly underdeveloped

Final Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Marianas Trench: Ever After - Review

Marianas Trench can be considered "Canada's little secret," as we always get their albums and singles ahead of other regions, and they rarely perform outside of the great white north. Us Canadians are extremely lucky that we have such an amazing group almost all to ourselves, and that is evident in their latest studio album, "Ever After," released in Canada on November 21, 2011 and December 21, 2011 in the United States. The album consists of twelve tracks, including five singles. Some tracks have an upbeat and exciting tone, while others have a more dark and mysterious feel to them. The album received critical acclaim, with it reaching 8th position on the Canadian Albums billboard, and for good reason. Canada is very lucky to have such a talented group of musicians representing them, and here's why.

The cover of the album, depicting several toys on shelves,
which reflects the album's story.

Ever After is a concept album, with a storyline being told through the tracks, as well as no pauses between them. The story tells of Josh Ramsay, who lands in the fictional world of Toyland and sets off to defeat Queen Carolina and return home. Even when you're just listening to the songs without knowing that there's a story being told, you can sense that there's a trend hidden in the lyrics. Josh Ramsay's voice never fails to blow you away, and you sometimes wonder how he manages to hit all of those high notes. Hit singles "Haven't Had Enough" and "Fallout" are notable examples that show off Ramsay's amazing talent.

"Haven't Had Enough" music video, released on August 25, 2011. Nice pirate hat.

The lyrics, aside from telling the story, also offer a subliminal message in between the lines. They talk about love, disaster, and happiness, which all happen along the course of the story. I'd even go so far as to say the lyrics give the songs a personality; it feels like they speak to you, like you can relate to them. I found the lyrics to be relaxing in some parts, and intense in others. In some cases, even both at the same time! A songwriter always wants to give their lyrics a meaning, and Ramsay doesn't disappoint. You'll surely agree when you hear the mysterious but upbeat sound.

"Fallout" music video, released on February 2, 2012.

I'm getting some Michael Bay vibes from this, despite this being a music video.

Some songs also incorporate a sort of "rock meets opera" type of feeling. This is especially prominent in "Stutter," the eighth track and fourth single, which involves a choir occasionally echoing Ramsay's vocals in certain points of the song. It is because of this that I find Stutter to be my favourite track; it stands out from the others in that it shows that something big is happening, like the the listener is climbing a mountain on his/her way to the climax, before rolling down and recovering from the fall. It truly is unique in it's own way, and it fills the role of that one song on an album that NO ONE can stop singing. However, I felt like some of the other songs sounded to familiar to one another, with not enough differences to distinguish them from each other. Fortunately, songs like that are not put right next to each other in the track list, so you'll always be listening to something relatively new each time.

"Stutter" music video, released on December 20, 2012. That's a terrible fake mustache.

Overall, I found Ever After to be different from other albums of the same genre. Being a concept album puts it in a league of it's own, and the story combined with the amazing vocals and upbeat tune makes this a worthy title of #8 on Canadian Albums, and will surely please anyone who enjoys the genre. After listening to this, I have high hopes for their next album, "Astoria," which will hopefully carry on their unique music style. So if you "Haven't Had Enough" 'By Now," keep an eye out for Marianas Trench's next big studio album coming out this spring. (Yes, I know they were bad puns. I'll get my coat.)

The Good:

+Fantastic lyrics that tell a fantastic story

+Connecting the end of one track and the beginning of another helps to continue the flow

+Vocals are loud and pronounced

The Bad:

-slightly repetitive tune

Final Rating: 9 out of 10

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 Review

If you're set up to be one of the most anticipated films of the year, there's two things that you would do if you were smart; make it the best experience possible, and split it into two seperate movies. While the Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 unfortunately succeeds at the latter, it somewhat fails at the former. The latest entry in the Hunger Games series falls short to its predecessors, which is evident shortly into the film. There is an extreme lack of action for a science-fiction WAR film, which instead turns it into something along the lines of a teen love triangle drama. The experience itself turns out to be more than it's worth, with the film being split into two separate parts, with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 coming later this year. Come to think of it, this has become a widely disliked trend in Hollywood recently, with most of these movies becoming known as shameless cash-grabs that could easily be made into a 3-hour movie instead of waiting another year or two for the next one to come out. Needless to say, Mockingjay: Part 1 has become one of these such movies, and only takes place during the first half of the book. And we all know what that means for sci-fi movies that are split into two parts; little to no action.

The official movie poster depicts an action-packed joyride, but looks can be deceiving.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 picks up where it's predecessor left off. Katniss Everdeen has been rescued from the 75th Hunger Games arena and has been taken to District 13, an underground city thought to be lost in a war long ago. Due to Katniss' actions in the previous films, District 13's President Coin hails Katniss as the perfect icon for the upcoming rebellion against the Capitol. Now known as the Mockingjay, Katniss begins a campaign to win over the hearts and minds of the rest of the districts, which in turn will lead to the uprising that will prove to be the Capitol's downfall.

I bet this all sounds like a lot of action, huh? It's not.

Mockingjay is sort of an Iron Man 2-esque movie; it's not focused enough on what it's supposed to be. Katniss' portrayed lover, Peeta Mellark, was captured by the Capitol during the events of Catching Fire, and her childhood friend from District 12, Gale Hawthorne, escaped to District 13 as well. Katniss is torn between these two (and so are the fangirls), and big chunks of the movie are focused around that. It's within reason to expect the whole love-triangle cliché in these type of movies, but it's scenes are so excessive that it takes away the true plot of the story at certain points. These scenes also give the movie a very slow pace, which is the direct opposite of what I was hoping for.

The survivors of District 8 salute the Mockingjay with the iconic three fingers that started it all.

All of this is not to say that the movie is BAD. This can still be a lovable film in many ways. All of the actor's performances were fantastic, with the late Philip Seymour Hoffman's role as ex-head-Game-Maker-under-cover Plutarch Heavensbee significantly standing out to me. Jennifer Lawrence is still nailing it as Katniss, and I especially love Haymitch Abernathy's character as Katniss' mentor and how Woody Harrelson portrayed him. However, I found that certain actor's characters are still somewhat lacking in character. For example, Gale's character is still very underdeveloped, and I felt like he was just there to fill the role of the "cute best friend of the main protagonist." I'm sure that all of the "Katniss x Gale" shippers out there will disagree with me, but he just didn't seem as important to the story than he did in the books. He does have a VERY important scene in the book that has yet to be covered in film however, so maybe when Part 2 releases in November, we'll see some tweaks to his and other actor's characters. The special effects are also very well made, despite not being used all the time.

District 5 rebels take down a Capitol dam. You can hear Lawrence's voice singing "The Hanging Tree" in the background. This is one of the few action sequences in the entire movie, but it really shows off the magnificent special effects.

The iconic poem written by Suzanne Collins herself. The Lumineers of "Ho Hey" fame provided the eerie background music for this addicting track.

At the end of the day, Mockingjay Part 1 fails and succeeds at a number of things. I walked into the theater with high expectations, and I was somewhat disappointed. A severe lack of action scenes makes the film seem slow-moving and lazy. However, I must add that when the occasional action scene did appear, it did not disappoint. In my opinion, the best part is when Katniss visits the ruins of District 12, and sings "The Hanging Tree" which continues as a voice-over for a District 5 demolition team destroying a dam that supplies the Capitol with power. This scene is probably the most iconic scene in the entire series, and I encourage you to find the scene and experience it for yourself. The acting performances are fantastic, but several characters need some more work done before they come back for the big finale. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 releases on November 20, and despite Part 1's various issues, I'll be first in line to see if they've built upon their mistakes and made a truly spectacular ending to an amazing trilogy. All it needs is a little more action and character development.

The Good:

+Acting is the best in the series thus far

+Truly well made action sequences, despite the scenes themselves being extremely lacking

+Amazing special effects

The Bad:

-Slow pace

-Shortage on action sequences

-Some characters are somewhat underdeveloped

-The "two-part-film" concept turns out as nothing more than a cash-grab

Final rating: 6.5 out of 10

A "cut" above the rest: Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door review

Nintendo's mustached mascot literally takes to the stage in the critically-acclaimed blockbuster Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, originally released on Oct. 11, 2004 for the Nintendo GameCube. To this day, it remains the favourite game in the series by many, and for good reason. It overflows with adorable and memorable characters, inventive environments, and addicting gameplay. So grab your Fire Flowers, buy some tickets, and grab a seat at the show. You'll be "flat" out laughing by the time we're done.

The visual charm is always a delight to experience. [1]

The game opens up with a letter arriving at Mario's house. As you would expect, the letter is from none other than Princess Peach herself, who claims she has found a treasure map that leads to a fantastic treasure. She was last seen in Rogueport, a dingy, crime-ridden city set far away from the comfort of Mario's homeland, the Mushroom Kingdom. With the map that Peach left for him in hand, Mario heads for Rogueport, only to find that she's gone missing. He sets out to track her down, while simultaneously "unravelling" the secrets of the map and the mysterious relics that it leads to: the Crystal Stars. Over the course of the game, the story will gradually become more and more deep, even becoming somewhat dark at certain points. That is partially what makes this game so amazing. Mario games have never been known for being very strong story-wise, but this game has one of the most enriching, detailed plots for a Mario game. The entirety of the plot is split up into eight "chapters," which further increases the unique "papery" feel of the game. During these chapters, you'll visit locations that each house it's own secrets, such as a mysterious island infested with spirits of poor souls lost at sea, an old church steeple with a really, REALLY annoying poltergeist problem, and a modern-day fighting arena with some dark secrets to uncover. The various environments never fail to captivate your attention, with each one bringing it's own secrets to unravel and people to meet. Some look up to you and accompany you on your journey. Others envy your magnificent mustache and sneakily plan your downfall. The character diversity in this game is insane. While many of the NPCs look alike, you'll rarely come across two people with similar personalities. The field gameplay is mainly focused on exploration and puzzle-solving, and you'll have to use your various strengths and powers as well as your companion's abilities in order to traverse the landscape. The puzzle aspect of this game blends perfectly with the exploration, with there being a perfect balance between the two. Puzzles can vary from hitting switch A and switch B at the same time in a flower-covered meadow, to solving enigmatic riddles with obtuse answers in a centuries-old underground palace. But where the gameplay really shines is in it's combat gameplay.

It's not every day you get to explore an enormous tree filled to the brim with tiny adorable creatures. [2]

When I said Mario literally takes to the stage, I meant it. The whole combat gameplay takes place on a stage, with an audience, smoke machines, and even cardboard backgrounds and defective light fixtures that can fall on you (Seriously, watch out for those). Mario primarily attacks by jumping or by hitting with his hammer, with each method of approach having different pros and cons. For example, jumping can hit any opponent, grounded or not, but can damage Mario if he jumps on something hot or pointy. The hammer is big and powerful, but you can't hit aerial opponents and can only attack the first enemy on the stage. Your allies can attack, too. All of your companions have different moves that are each useful in it's own way. For example, Goombella, the first ally you meet in your adventure, can use her special Tattle ability to look up information on your opponent, such as how much HP they have, or how many points of defense they have. All of the tattles you've acquired will be kept in a special book in the menu, which can become a lengthy sidequest in itself. You can only have one ally with you at once, however, and it will cost you a turn to swap them out. The combat is turn-based, with you and your ally moving first and your opponents moving last. The combat is all about timing; pressing certain buttons at just the right time can increase the damage you give, let you attack again, and decrease the damage you receive. Some attacks can be countered by pressing B just at the right time, However, these actions are significantly more difficult to time and only cause any damage if the enemy makes any direct contact, but they are VERY satisfying to pull off. There is also a treasure trove of various items to use in battle or in the field, with certain items healing you and your partner and others summoning a storm of shooting stars to attack your opponents. Badges can also be collected in the field, and equipped in the menu to give you various boosts and extra attacks when in battle. The stage and the audience can greatly influence the events of the battle as well; the smoke machines could suddenly breathe fire at you, an angry audience member might throw something at you, or a Shy Guy will hop up on stage and start causing mischief. You can also flare up the audience by doing things like dealing out maximum damage, which in turn will allow you to use special attacks more often. Even Mario's skittish brother Luigi occasionally shows up to cheer his sibling on. The combat does has several issues, however. Several points in the game require you to fight large groups of enemies one after the other, which can get repetitive. The combat overall is quite simple, with there not being many different attacking options.

Your average combat scenario, neatly sorted into five different categories, complete with two man-eating weeds and a very angry audience. [3]

One of the best aspects of the game is it's dialogue. The game is quite lengthy, with 30 to 40 hours in the main story alone, and there's loads of dialogue that manages to give you the information that you need to know, while also being downright hilarious. Mario's always been known as more of a listener, so he doesn't talk much. His allies, however, all have completely different personalities, and each provide a unique twist in the conversation at hand. The only downside is that the best of your allies' dialogue are in cutscenes that you can only view once, so you'll never get to see all of your allies putting their two sense in the conversation during your first run through of the game. Your companions also speak up when Mario can't, and it's quite funny watching Mario muttering something and his current partner understanding his every word.

That's a peculiar-looking belt he's wearing, isn't it? [4]

The audio performance is also top-notch, with the area music fitting the environment very well. Some can also be extremely catchy. However, after about 20-30 hours, you might have heard the main battle theme one too many times. The visual presentation is gorgeous, with all of the character models, backgrounds and set pieces being nice and "thin" (In a good way!). Mario even flips around like a sheet of paper when you walk in the opposite direction of which he's facing. The graphics look beautiful for GameCube standards, even rivalling The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker that released a year earlier. There was seldom a point where something important looked visually ugly, and the various NPC designs are creative and colourful, despite some of them looking like a child's colouring book.

Take a look at this gameplay montage showcasing

several environments, as well as some battle gameplay. [5]

Overall, if you enjoy RPGs and you want to experience a unique twist on the genre, than this is the game for you. The story is deep and involving, with more and more details being revealed as you progress. The visuals are fantastic, and the music tracks are nice and catchy. The combat isn't complicated, but it doesn't need to be. This isn't your average role playing game, because it's charm puts it in a league of it's own. This wonderful, adorable game is the product of a group of incredibly talented game designers, and it's quite difficult to pull away from their whimsical world once you get into it. I loved it from start to finish, and it remains one of my favourite games to this day.

The good

+Fun, addictive gameplay

+Beautiful visuals

+Hilarious dialogue

+Surprisingly deep story

+Simplistic, but detailed combat

The bad

-Combat can become slightly repetitive at times

The ugly

I apologise for my use of "tearable" paper puns in this review.

Final rating: 9 out of 10


[1] Digital image. Mario Wiki. SWFlash, 29 June 2011. Web. 18 Jan. 2015. <http://www.mariowiki.com/images/b/b6/PMTTYD_Marioshouse_inside.png>.

[2] Digital image. Mario Wiki. RAP, 23 Mar. 2008. Web. 18 Jan. 2015. <http://www.mariowiki.com/images/0/03/The_Great_Tree.jpg>.

[3] Digital image. MobyGames. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2015. <http://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/89643-paper-mario-the-thousand-year-door-gamecube-screenshot-a-battle.jpg>.

[4] Digital image. Mario Wiki. L151, 7 June 2012. Web. 18 Jan. 2015. <http://www.mariowiki.com/images/a/ab/ChampionshipBattle.png>.

[5] Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Gameplay GC. DarkFulgore2000, 14 July 2009. Web. 18 Jan. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry5epXZATW0>.