Review: Justice League Flashpoint Paradox
Justice League Flashpoint Paradox is the newest DC animated movie. I’ll briefly review this dvd, but there will be some spoilers ahead, so be warned. I’ll try not to spoil too much.
The Flash has always been one of my absolute favorite DC comics characters (especially Barry Allen as the Flash). This filled that inner need to see his version of the speedster on screen again. We start off with Barry as a child, before he had the lab accident that created his abilities. This whole childhood flashback was a perfect prologue to our story.
Following this scene, we get a battle with Flash’s rogues. The highlight isn’t Mirror Master, Captain Boomerang, or Captain Cold however. It is when Professor Zoom (The Reverse Flash) shows up. I had a bit of chills watching Flash stand his own ground, and then finally lose the battle. When the Justice League arrives to help, it got even better.
This was not the highlight though. In the next part, Barry wakes up in an alternate reality where his mother never died, he never became the Flash, Bruce Wayne was shot instead of his parents (leaving his mother an insane version of the Joker, and his Father, an alcoholic Batman. and Chaos all around. Here are my problems with this reality…
Aquaman and Wonder Woman are the villains in this story. This normally wouldn’t be an issue for me, as I can see why it would work, but the lack of explanation as to why they are willing to wage war on everyone else seems to be an annoyance. There is also a secret weapon that Aquaman has (Captain Atom is chained up). It is never explained as to why, and how he will just go nuclear when the time comes.
All that aside, this was a very brutal reality. Barry convinces Batman to help him recreate the lab experiment that created the Flash. After suffering third degree burns and a failed attempt, Barry goes for it again, only to have it work. This was disturbing on many levels, but really nice to see him as the unselfish hero he is. I loved it for both these aspects.
So the battle continues as Wonder Woman and Aquaman go all out war on each other. Hell breaks loose, and we get a cool little cameo by an alternate Justice league and other heroes including Etrigan and The Shazam kids. Oh wait I almost forgot… Superman is in this reality, but I don’t want to spoil his presence in this world. You have to see it to believe it. Really cool.
My favorite parts are at the end though. When Zoom arrives and he and Flash have their one on one battle, where the “True cause” of this reality is revealed. Seeing The Flash tap into the speed force, as well as Batman (the real Batman once everything is set right) actually shed a tear and cry, was breathtaking.
So the ratings? Well, stay through the credits because we kind of get a glimpse of what might be coming next in a short clip. I’d give Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox an 8 out of 10. Not the best DC animated movie to date, but among the contenders, and definitely one of my favorites.
Review: Resident Evil Damnation
Review by Rick Pipito
To start off, let me say that I’m a HUGE Resident Evil fan. I have loved every game since the first one, collected the comics and some figures back in the day, own the novels by S.D. Perry, Own all of the movies (even though they are not part of the canon), and am eager for each new release. Resident Evil: Degeneration was an amazing CGI movie, but its sequel Damnation falls short. There are SPOILERS AHEAD.
For any RE fan, this is a must see, but don’t expect much. There are some good things, but for the most part it was a let down. Let’s begin with the GOOD:
Leon Kennedy has come a long way since his debut in Resident Evil 2. This movie really shows off his expertise and professionalism. I’m pretty sure he could give Rambo a run for his money.
The animation was outstanding. The detail when their was and wasn’t gore, was phenomenal.
Ada Wong remains the mystery that she is. She is sexy and deadly, and is always the villain that you want to survive. Her and Leon’s relationship is much akin to the likes of Batman & Catwoman or Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler.
The camera work (or angles of animation) were brilliant. Words weren’t needed to describe what each character was focused upon or where they were going, as the view subtley shifted to certain points of interest.
The darkness and scenes were often creepy, and at one point I’ll admit I jumped and my heart skipped a beat.
Parasite zombies were back, and there was a brief scene showing one of the zombies removing a parasite and forcing it down a human’s throat. It was sickening to watch, and really captured the horror aspect.
Ada vs the Russian President was a very action packed scene, that was probably the highlight of the movie.
A new version of Mr. X tyrants and the lickers being controllable were a very welcome part of the film.
But Now for the BAD:
J.D., a new character, is probably the most annoying character in the series to date. I think I would have rather have seen the secret character from Resident Evil 2, Tofu, instead. If I were Russian, I might be offended at how dumb he is. Not only is he stupid, but he tries to be “cool” so bad that he fails horribly. There is only one moment when I actually liked the character, but by then it didn’t matter.
You can tell it was made in a foreign country. Not that this is a bad thing, but the problem was with the voices being out of sync with the mouth movements. Again, not a problem, but it was a slight annoyance.
There were too many inner monologue moments. Leon especially would say things he was thinking out loud. If he were really the professional he is, then he wouldn’t have made a peep, which could often lead to being discovered.
The gun play was horrible. I grew up watching 80s movies where the main characters could avoid a whole slew of bullets being fired at them, but this was ridiculous. An entire Russian military unit stands mere feet away from Leon with automatic rifles. Even though cover is ten yards away, he still manages to dodge every single bullet fired upon him. I guess the Russians were blind.
Leon was immortal. Seemingly anyway. He didn’t even bleed. After surviving the military onslaught he takes on a dozen lickers and then a handful of Mr. X Tyrants. One of the tyrants has him cornered and slammed against a wall, and even after being thrown into a pillar, he is still capable of moving at full speed without the wind so much as being knocked out of him.
Neutral points:
The United States coming at the end with a squadron of A-10 Thunderbolt’s kicked ass, but at the same time, where were they moments prior?
There were things such as the Russian president’s scar on her back, and Sasha’s stories that were left open.
Credits were filled with not only a bonus scene, but a HUGE preview of Resident Evil 6. There was gameplay I have not yet seen in trailers, but also I had to turn away in fear of finding out too much.
Overall:
If you are a Resident Evil fan as I am, then you definitely need to watch this movie. Unfortunately, if you are not a huge fan, then it might be a waste of time, though you may enjoy it as a popcorn flick. On a scale of 1 to 10, I have to give this a 5. The good elements are REALLY REALLY good. But the bad elements are equally as bad. I only hope that it is redeemed with a future CG film.
Avengers Week Post #3: Brotherly Love
Thor and Loki grew up as best friend brothers, but jealousy tore them apart. Now Loki will stop at nothing to torment Thor and destroy everything he cares about. Thor, the god of thunder, often needs the assistance of the Avengers to defeat Loki’s mischief. If Loki were to defeat Thor, you’d be sure that he would make a mockery of him. That is exactly what THOR AND LOKI: BLOOD BROTHERS tells in its story.
On September 13, 2011, the motion comic was released. Based on the storyline “Loki” by Robert Rodi & Esad Ribic, this dvd comes in four chapters. First off, I’ll say this… I can watch just about anything and not get bored. Although the artwork in this motion comic was outstanding and should be commended for that alone, the story was very slow and bland.
Loki has beaten his brother and chained him in a dungeon. There are cameos by other Marvel entities such as: Hela, Karnila, Sif, Odin and Balder, but that does nothing to make the story flow. The concept is intruiging, and I’m sure that the original comic was spectacular, but to translate it into something you want to watch doesn’t work… at least for me. I could read the book a lot faster and be more interested. A few times I caught myself dozing off, and forced myself awake in the hopes that something would happen to spark my interest. There is almost no action at all, and while I don’t believe a story needs this, it needs at least some exciting script to go along with it.
Don’t get me wrong. If you are an artist, then I recommend checking this out for the talent put into it, but otherwise you should probably forgoe this one. If you are like me, and want this just to complete your collection of comic book dvds, then make sure you have a few cups of coffee before watching this snooze fest. I give it a whopping 3 stars out of 10.
Thor is played by Chris Hemsworth, and Loki is played by Tom Hiddleston in Marvel’s The Avengers movie.
sCrypt Publishing 