Search
Search results
Merissa (12894 KP) rated Psychic Whispers (Woodward Hill #1) in Books
Sep 16, 2020
Psychic Whispers is the first book in the Woodward Hill series and I LOVED IT! This was just the right book at the right time and I fell in love with the characters of this small, gossipy, quirky town.
Inara has the ability to talk to the animals, she even calls herself Dr DoLittle. Unfortunately, before she was old enough to fully understand or use her ability, she was attacked by a pitbull. This left scars, both seen and unseen, that she is determined to work past. Nik has been the 'son gone bad' for too long in the town. The son of a man accused (but cleared) of murder, his reputation has always hung over him like a shroud. He thinks Inara is too good for him. She thinks he is put off by her scars.
Aww, come on, people. You know these two will end up together but it's not a smooth road by any stretch of the imagination. With fears on both sides, a small-town mindset working against them, oh, and plus a murder to solve whilst staying alive, these two have their work cut out for them.
There are a whole host of supporting characters that I loved and, fair warning Ms Burnz and Ms Nuest, I'll be wanting stories for all of them! 😉
The world-building is excellent with just the right attention to detail that I needed. The pacing is smooth and the steamy scenes are hot! Nik is pure alpha but Inara is no pushover.
All in all, this was a brilliant read and a fantastic opening to a new series that I will be following closely and reading ALL of them! Highly recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Inara has the ability to talk to the animals, she even calls herself Dr DoLittle. Unfortunately, before she was old enough to fully understand or use her ability, she was attacked by a pitbull. This left scars, both seen and unseen, that she is determined to work past. Nik has been the 'son gone bad' for too long in the town. The son of a man accused (but cleared) of murder, his reputation has always hung over him like a shroud. He thinks Inara is too good for him. She thinks he is put off by her scars.
Aww, come on, people. You know these two will end up together but it's not a smooth road by any stretch of the imagination. With fears on both sides, a small-town mindset working against them, oh, and plus a murder to solve whilst staying alive, these two have their work cut out for them.
There are a whole host of supporting characters that I loved and, fair warning Ms Burnz and Ms Nuest, I'll be wanting stories for all of them! 😉
The world-building is excellent with just the right attention to detail that I needed. The pacing is smooth and the steamy scenes are hot! Nik is pure alpha but Inara is no pushover.
All in all, this was a brilliant read and a fantastic opening to a new series that I will be following closely and reading ALL of them! Highly recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated the PC version of Borderlands 3: Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck in Video Games
Oct 8, 2020
The last of the four announced DLC expansions for Borderlands 3 has arrived with Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck. This time around the Vault Hunter(s) must travel into the mind of the unstable Krieg and work with his good and bad sides to research the psychos of the Borderlands universe.
Players will go through various locales but many of which will seem very familiar to fans of the series. The prior three DLC were set in a Casino, A creepy town, and an Old West Planet; and the locales this time out are not as distinct.
Players will see many familiar enemies and faces as well as this time around the emphasis is not on creating multiple new enemies. Instead it is more of a trip down memory lane as Psychos, Mechs, and familiar enemies come into play. There are naturally some new wrinkles such as Psychos riding rockets who make for a nice new wrinkle and there are some familiar faces in some of the Boss Battles players will encounter.
The game setting is not as engaging as the prior DLC as to me the settings seemed too familiar and lacked the fun of some of the locales of the prior DLC. The prior DLC also had more engaging settings and scenarios and introduced many new characters. This time around it is more like a trip down memory lane; literally and figuratively.
In the end the expansion offers more loot, more adventures, and a few hours of diversion; but for me was the least engaging and interesting of the four DLC offerings for the game.
That being said; I did have fun even if it was not as much as with the prior expansions and I hope that more DLC will be coming soon and Gearbox has teased some new announcements coming soon, perhaps as soon as today at PAX Online.
Players will go through various locales but many of which will seem very familiar to fans of the series. The prior three DLC were set in a Casino, A creepy town, and an Old West Planet; and the locales this time out are not as distinct.
Players will see many familiar enemies and faces as well as this time around the emphasis is not on creating multiple new enemies. Instead it is more of a trip down memory lane as Psychos, Mechs, and familiar enemies come into play. There are naturally some new wrinkles such as Psychos riding rockets who make for a nice new wrinkle and there are some familiar faces in some of the Boss Battles players will encounter.
The game setting is not as engaging as the prior DLC as to me the settings seemed too familiar and lacked the fun of some of the locales of the prior DLC. The prior DLC also had more engaging settings and scenarios and introduced many new characters. This time around it is more like a trip down memory lane; literally and figuratively.
In the end the expansion offers more loot, more adventures, and a few hours of diversion; but for me was the least engaging and interesting of the four DLC offerings for the game.
That being said; I did have fun even if it was not as much as with the prior expansions and I hope that more DLC will be coming soon and Gearbox has teased some new announcements coming soon, perhaps as soon as today at PAX Online.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Pan's Labyrinth (2006) in Movies
Oct 12, 2020
I honestly can't think of a single thing I don't like about Pan's Labyrinth. From start to finish, it's arguably one of the most captivating pieces of cinema ever put to screen.
Guillermo del Toro once again proves his visionary status, with some superbly well realised creature designs. The dark fantasy element of Pan's Labyrinth is vividly otherworldly, and visually unique. Doug Jones portrays both Fauno and The Pale Man, two creatures that immediately earned a place in iconic movie monsters standing. The Pale Man in particular is utterly terrifying.
Ofelia is the young girl who embarks on this fantasy adventure, and actor Ivana Baquero is a delightful presence throughout the movie.
Of course, a bigger chunk of the runtime is taken up by what's happening in the real world. Set in Spain, in the early years of the Francoist period, it's a gritty narrative that touches upon war and dictatorship.
The dictator in this case is Captain Vidal, Ofelia's new stepfather and soon to be biological father of her unborn brother. His contempt towards Ofelia is unpleasant, and he has little regard for anyone's life but his own and his unborn son (nothing like a case of family lineage and mantle carrying to get the misogynistic juices flowing eh?).
He's played with despicabe glee by Sergi López, an actor who I believe was more known in Spain for his comedic work prior to this, so hats off to him. Vidal is one of the most easy-to-hate characters I've ever seen!
The collision of these two opposing world's and cinema styles is fantastic, and is paced perfectly, the fantasy sequences being a brilliant burst of magic, within a compelling and tense war story, all complimented by a beautiful music score.
Pan's Labyrinth is full of wonder and emotion, both fantastical and harrowing. It's a straight up masterpiece that easily makes my top 20 films of all time, maybe even top 10!
Guillermo del Toro once again proves his visionary status, with some superbly well realised creature designs. The dark fantasy element of Pan's Labyrinth is vividly otherworldly, and visually unique. Doug Jones portrays both Fauno and The Pale Man, two creatures that immediately earned a place in iconic movie monsters standing. The Pale Man in particular is utterly terrifying.
Ofelia is the young girl who embarks on this fantasy adventure, and actor Ivana Baquero is a delightful presence throughout the movie.
Of course, a bigger chunk of the runtime is taken up by what's happening in the real world. Set in Spain, in the early years of the Francoist period, it's a gritty narrative that touches upon war and dictatorship.
The dictator in this case is Captain Vidal, Ofelia's new stepfather and soon to be biological father of her unborn brother. His contempt towards Ofelia is unpleasant, and he has little regard for anyone's life but his own and his unborn son (nothing like a case of family lineage and mantle carrying to get the misogynistic juices flowing eh?).
He's played with despicabe glee by Sergi López, an actor who I believe was more known in Spain for his comedic work prior to this, so hats off to him. Vidal is one of the most easy-to-hate characters I've ever seen!
The collision of these two opposing world's and cinema styles is fantastic, and is paced perfectly, the fantasy sequences being a brilliant burst of magic, within a compelling and tense war story, all complimented by a beautiful music score.
Pan's Labyrinth is full of wonder and emotion, both fantastical and harrowing. It's a straight up masterpiece that easily makes my top 20 films of all time, maybe even top 10!
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) in Movies
Oct 15, 2020
This first sequel to Captain America: The First Avenger is everything a sequel should be. It has bigger and better set pieces, it has a bigger emotional centre, it brings in already established MCU characters and introduces new ones, and is arguably one of the best entries into the MCU to date.
Chris Evans does nothing more than tighten his grip around his most famous role. He joins Robert Downey Jr. in the category of irreplaceable actors for these characters.
Scarlett Johansson is once again great as Black Widow, and newcomer Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon provides Cap with a likeable new ally. The three of them as a sort of mini Avengers in this movie are fantastic.
Sebastian Stan plays The Winter Soldier with aplomb, and gives us a truly dangerous antagonist. The dude is fucking terrifying, yet his relationship with Steve Rogers gives us the heart of this movie. It's a tragic story which of course will be further explored in Civil War further down the line.
The cast is rounded off with Samuel L. Jackson returning as Nick Fury, Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce, Emily VanCamp as Agent 13, Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow, and some smaller roles for Cobie Smulders and Hayley Atwell.
It's a really solid cast all in all, an area that Marvel Studios rarely missteps.
The set pieces are hugely high octane and thrilling. The opening scene on the barge is a highlight, as well as the teams fight with the Winter Soldier midway through. Even Nick Fury gets a banger of an action sequence. Also, this film boasts probably the biggest plot twist gut punch in the whole MCU with the SHIELD/Hydra reveal. It's an extremely well crafted, ballsy narrative that impacts the shape of the MCU going forward.
There's honestly nothing bad to say about this one. It's top tier comic book cinema.
Chris Evans does nothing more than tighten his grip around his most famous role. He joins Robert Downey Jr. in the category of irreplaceable actors for these characters.
Scarlett Johansson is once again great as Black Widow, and newcomer Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon provides Cap with a likeable new ally. The three of them as a sort of mini Avengers in this movie are fantastic.
Sebastian Stan plays The Winter Soldier with aplomb, and gives us a truly dangerous antagonist. The dude is fucking terrifying, yet his relationship with Steve Rogers gives us the heart of this movie. It's a tragic story which of course will be further explored in Civil War further down the line.
The cast is rounded off with Samuel L. Jackson returning as Nick Fury, Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce, Emily VanCamp as Agent 13, Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow, and some smaller roles for Cobie Smulders and Hayley Atwell.
It's a really solid cast all in all, an area that Marvel Studios rarely missteps.
The set pieces are hugely high octane and thrilling. The opening scene on the barge is a highlight, as well as the teams fight with the Winter Soldier midway through. Even Nick Fury gets a banger of an action sequence. Also, this film boasts probably the biggest plot twist gut punch in the whole MCU with the SHIELD/Hydra reveal. It's an extremely well crafted, ballsy narrative that impacts the shape of the MCU going forward.
There's honestly nothing bad to say about this one. It's top tier comic book cinema.
Merissa (12894 KP) rated Sound (The Last Note #1) in Books
Oct 19, 2020
UPDATE - Sound has now been released by itself and extra added to it. NOW you get the full/part story of Melody. I say full because of the extra and also say part because her story is intertwined with her friends, and rightly so.
I loved the extra that Ms. Daniels added. It really helped to 'flesh out' the story and give some more insight into Melody and Étienne. I am loving grumpy Lucien and can't wait for his story! But then, Moël is so sweet, I want his too! Plus, I really need to find out what has happened to Melody's two friends. Oh, I'm so greedy 🤣
I am thrilled with the additions Maya Daniels has added to Melody's story and I will now impatiently wait for the other two. A gripping story that leaves you wanting more.
Sound is part of the Darkness Rising anthology and, as such, has only part of the story. This is a travesty, I tell you, because I need the rest of it right now! This is the bare bones of the story which leaves me wanting oh so much more.
Melody is in a bit of a pickle and Ethan 😉 is just the vampire to save her. Throw in two friends, two brothers, a wicked witch, and a fish-breathed cat, and you have all the components of this story.
This was a great read but I would definitely recommend you read Last Note first, just to get you up to date with what is going on in here. Fantastic as part of the box set but I really can't wait for the full novel to be released. Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
I loved the extra that Ms. Daniels added. It really helped to 'flesh out' the story and give some more insight into Melody and Étienne. I am loving grumpy Lucien and can't wait for his story! But then, Moël is so sweet, I want his too! Plus, I really need to find out what has happened to Melody's two friends. Oh, I'm so greedy 🤣
I am thrilled with the additions Maya Daniels has added to Melody's story and I will now impatiently wait for the other two. A gripping story that leaves you wanting more.
Sound is part of the Darkness Rising anthology and, as such, has only part of the story. This is a travesty, I tell you, because I need the rest of it right now! This is the bare bones of the story which leaves me wanting oh so much more.
Melody is in a bit of a pickle and Ethan 😉 is just the vampire to save her. Throw in two friends, two brothers, a wicked witch, and a fish-breathed cat, and you have all the components of this story.
This was a great read but I would definitely recommend you read Last Note first, just to get you up to date with what is going on in here. Fantastic as part of the box set but I really can't wait for the full novel to be released. Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Never Hike Alone (2017) in Movies
Oct 20, 2020
Never Hike Alone is a hell of an accomplishment - a fan made film based on Friday the 13th that is as good, maybe even better, than the best entries in the main franchise.
It's premise is simple - a survival/hiking enthusiast is collecting footage for his YouTube channel when he accidentally stumbles across the remains of Camp Crystal Lake, resulting in a one on one fight for his life when he discovers that Jason Voorhees still resides there - and it's short runtime (clocking in at just under an hour) make for a no-filler, sharp-shock slice of slasher goodness.
It carries a lot of tension, the first half being relatively calm as protagonist Kyle (Drew Leighty) explores the remnant of the camp. Fans of the original film will surely get a kick out of recognisable landmarks, including the bed that Kevin Bacon was skewered through. It's a nice way of showing that this short is a true love letter to the franchise. Kyle is a likable and believable lead who's survival skill set makes him a good match for the big bad.
When Jason eventually shows up, he's damn scary! This version of Jason is just relentless. He's quick, heavy footed, and smashes through doors like they're not even there. Director Vincent DiSanti fills the shoes of Jason, and his tall and broad figure make for a genuinely intimidating version of this beloved horror icon.
He looks fantastic as well, it's clear that a lot of effort was put into his make up and costume.
Top all of this off with a cameo from Thom Mathews himself, and what you get is a recipe for a successful short film, made for fans, by fans.
Never Hike Alone is a real treat for anyone who even has a passing interest in Friday the 13th. Hats off to Womp Stomp Films for their great work.
It's premise is simple - a survival/hiking enthusiast is collecting footage for his YouTube channel when he accidentally stumbles across the remains of Camp Crystal Lake, resulting in a one on one fight for his life when he discovers that Jason Voorhees still resides there - and it's short runtime (clocking in at just under an hour) make for a no-filler, sharp-shock slice of slasher goodness.
It carries a lot of tension, the first half being relatively calm as protagonist Kyle (Drew Leighty) explores the remnant of the camp. Fans of the original film will surely get a kick out of recognisable landmarks, including the bed that Kevin Bacon was skewered through. It's a nice way of showing that this short is a true love letter to the franchise. Kyle is a likable and believable lead who's survival skill set makes him a good match for the big bad.
When Jason eventually shows up, he's damn scary! This version of Jason is just relentless. He's quick, heavy footed, and smashes through doors like they're not even there. Director Vincent DiSanti fills the shoes of Jason, and his tall and broad figure make for a genuinely intimidating version of this beloved horror icon.
He looks fantastic as well, it's clear that a lot of effort was put into his make up and costume.
Top all of this off with a cameo from Thom Mathews himself, and what you get is a recipe for a successful short film, made for fans, by fans.
Never Hike Alone is a real treat for anyone who even has a passing interest in Friday the 13th. Hats off to Womp Stomp Films for their great work.
Kelly Knows (95 KP) rated The House of Doors in Books
Jun 28, 2019
Worlds of Horror
Wow, what a fantastic book. I am still surprised this story has not been optioned for a movie adaptation. House of Doors is a unique tale with a simple concept, the age old question of man meets aliens and how that first contact would go down. What if we were tested? Brutally? Would we measure up? This book answers those questions and more in terrifying fashion. Brian Lumley spins a rich tale of daring and adventure, with a new even more terrifying world behind each door the characters open. The illustrative text will illuminate wondrous monsters in your mind and fill your head to the brim with images of strange worlds twisted by alien machinery, born of the desires and fears within us all. The alien species in this story is unlike anything you've seen before. The characters are witty and engaging. Even the ones you hate are written so well you can't help but question your instinct to despise them. My personal favorite aspects of this book are the world designs. No spoilers, you'll just have to find out what I mean, but it is seriously awesome. Also bringing a lot to this fast paced thrill ride is the main character, Spencer Gill. A wry, clever man with more to him than meets the eye, Spencer Gill reminds me of the Indiana Jones/Jack Ryan, kind of heroes I grew up admiring. All of the characters involved have their moments to shine, whether it be a bright light or a darker moment. Even the sinister alien Thone get a role in the narrative in an unlikely writing style that pays off the investment, with interest. This is the kind of book that gets you into reading books, and if you like it, there is a pretty good sequel as well. Sci-fi and horror clash spectacularly as humanity finds out if they measure up, and the terrible consequences that will occur if they don't.
James P. Sumner (65 KP) rated Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) in Movies
Jul 10, 2019
The MCU delivers again!
Tom Holland reprises his role as the friendly neighbourhood Spiderman in this enjoyable final entry in the MCU's third phase.
Picking up where Avengers: Endgame left off, the world is slowly getting back on its feet after Thanos' handiwork was reversed. Peter Parker is on a school trip across Europe when huge Elemental enemies attack. He's unprepared, but the day is saved by Mysterio - a superhero from an alternate universe.
So far, so Marvel.
Twists and turns follow, with plenty of action throughout. The storyline reminded me of Iron Man 3 in some ways, in terms of it's structure and style. The visuals were impressive as always. The acting was spot-on, with Happy returning in a comic relief/mentor role that worked really well alongside the hero.
The great thing about all the Marvel movies is how they distinguish themselves from each other. Aside from being just comic book movies, each individual series has its own themes and genre. Guardians of the Galaxy is sci-fi/action/comedy, Captain America is more political/action, Thor is fantasy, etc... Spiderman fills the gap for a teen drama, appealing to the younger audience by giving them the angst and romance they crave and relate to. The relationship between Peter and MJ is explored in greater detail here, and their on-screen awkward is fun to watch, but also believable - largely, I suspect, due to the pair's off-screen friendship. Their chemistry is brilliant and really adds to the movie.
As with all Marvel movies, it ain't over 'til it's over. The mid-credits scene does a truly fantastic job of setting up the third movie in the series, while the post-credits scene teases at the future of the wider MCU.
Marvel has had numerous hits with only a small handful of near-misses. Spiderman: Far From Home is a resounding hit and not to be missed!
Picking up where Avengers: Endgame left off, the world is slowly getting back on its feet after Thanos' handiwork was reversed. Peter Parker is on a school trip across Europe when huge Elemental enemies attack. He's unprepared, but the day is saved by Mysterio - a superhero from an alternate universe.
So far, so Marvel.
Twists and turns follow, with plenty of action throughout. The storyline reminded me of Iron Man 3 in some ways, in terms of it's structure and style. The visuals were impressive as always. The acting was spot-on, with Happy returning in a comic relief/mentor role that worked really well alongside the hero.
The great thing about all the Marvel movies is how they distinguish themselves from each other. Aside from being just comic book movies, each individual series has its own themes and genre. Guardians of the Galaxy is sci-fi/action/comedy, Captain America is more political/action, Thor is fantasy, etc... Spiderman fills the gap for a teen drama, appealing to the younger audience by giving them the angst and romance they crave and relate to. The relationship between Peter and MJ is explored in greater detail here, and their on-screen awkward is fun to watch, but also believable - largely, I suspect, due to the pair's off-screen friendship. Their chemistry is brilliant and really adds to the movie.
As with all Marvel movies, it ain't over 'til it's over. The mid-credits scene does a truly fantastic job of setting up the third movie in the series, while the post-credits scene teases at the future of the wider MCU.
Marvel has had numerous hits with only a small handful of near-misses. Spiderman: Far From Home is a resounding hit and not to be missed!
Kara Skinner (332 KP) rated Second Time Around in Books
Sep 10, 2019
Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQ
Word Count: 8,140
Average Goodreads Rating: 2.67/5 stars
My Rating: 3/5 stars
Second Time Around is a story about mistaken identities. Jamie meets the man of his dreams, Matthew, at a party celebrating the opening of his new bakery. Better yet, Matthew seems to be into him. There’s just one problem: there’s a good chance Matthew is heterosexual and thinks Jamie is a girl.
You can read this book for free on Smashwords
Misunderstanding and mistaken identities can make for good stories. And Second Time Around isn’t an exception. The plot kept me intrigued throughout the whole story.
Jamie and his roommate John are both fantastic characters. I love John’s open-mindedness and his loyalty to his friend, and I love how Jamie is able to open up his own bakery and be himself instead of conforming to society’s rules.
I really wish I saw more of Matthew.
Unfortunately, I can’t get a read on his character because he’s barely in the story. You don’t actually see Matthew meeting Jamie at the party, it’s just talked about later.
Don’t get me wrong, Matthew seems all right. Aside from waiting two freaking weeks to talk to Jamie about the incident at the bakery. What the hell, dude? Yeah, you might have just met Jamie, and you need to talk to your brother about some things, but two weeks to check on somebody after that is excessive.
But that’s my only complaint about Matthew.
I really wish this story was longer and we got to see more of everyone, especially what happens to Matthew and Jamie, and what happens when Jamie meets Matthew’s brother. If it was longer, I might have gotten more attached to the characters and felt more about them. However, as is, it’s not a bad read, especially if you need a mood booster. So I only took off two stars for the length of the book and Matthew’s dick move.
Word Count: 8,140
Average Goodreads Rating: 2.67/5 stars
My Rating: 3/5 stars
Second Time Around is a story about mistaken identities. Jamie meets the man of his dreams, Matthew, at a party celebrating the opening of his new bakery. Better yet, Matthew seems to be into him. There’s just one problem: there’s a good chance Matthew is heterosexual and thinks Jamie is a girl.
You can read this book for free on Smashwords
Misunderstanding and mistaken identities can make for good stories. And Second Time Around isn’t an exception. The plot kept me intrigued throughout the whole story.
Jamie and his roommate John are both fantastic characters. I love John’s open-mindedness and his loyalty to his friend, and I love how Jamie is able to open up his own bakery and be himself instead of conforming to society’s rules.
I really wish I saw more of Matthew.
Unfortunately, I can’t get a read on his character because he’s barely in the story. You don’t actually see Matthew meeting Jamie at the party, it’s just talked about later.
Don’t get me wrong, Matthew seems all right. Aside from waiting two freaking weeks to talk to Jamie about the incident at the bakery. What the hell, dude? Yeah, you might have just met Jamie, and you need to talk to your brother about some things, but two weeks to check on somebody after that is excessive.
But that’s my only complaint about Matthew.
I really wish this story was longer and we got to see more of everyone, especially what happens to Matthew and Jamie, and what happens when Jamie meets Matthew’s brother. If it was longer, I might have gotten more attached to the characters and felt more about them. However, as is, it’s not a bad read, especially if you need a mood booster. So I only took off two stars for the length of the book and Matthew’s dick move.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated It: Chapter Two (2019) in Movies
Sep 18, 2019
Good but overly long
The negative reviews of this film really got me worried that I wouldn't like it, especially as I loved the first part despite it straying in parts from the book. However despite a few negatives, this is still a pretty good film.
This part seemed to keep a long closer and truer to the book than the first part. Yes there were a few odd differences and scares but for me nothing major, other than the tokens idea which just seemed a bit stupid. As silly as it sounds, when a film sticks closely to a book it makes me all happy and warm inside. So I spent a lot of this film feeling quite satisfied, at least from a plot point of view. The adult cast too are fantastic, they've done so well to find a group of actors that fit perfectly with their younger counterparts from the first film.
But sadly there are negatives. The CGI is pretty poor in parts and vastly overused. By the end I got sick to death of seeing horrendous looking CGI creeps and scares. Bring back physical effects! Pennywise too also suffered from being overly CGI, which is a shame as I think he was brilliant the rest of the time and rather creepy, especially with his voice.
And then there's the length. This film is far too long, and the reason for it is because they've stuck in a ridiculous amount of flashbacks. Dont get me wrong, it was nice to see the younger cast again especially as they provided a lot of nostalgic heartwarming moments. But it was just too much. They could've left out a lot of the flashbacks, cut a good half hour off the run time and still had a pretty decent film without impacting the plot.
Despite it's negatives, I still rather enjoyed this film. It's nothing new after having seen the first part and definitely more of the same, but mostly a rather fitting end to IT.
This part seemed to keep a long closer and truer to the book than the first part. Yes there were a few odd differences and scares but for me nothing major, other than the tokens idea which just seemed a bit stupid. As silly as it sounds, when a film sticks closely to a book it makes me all happy and warm inside. So I spent a lot of this film feeling quite satisfied, at least from a plot point of view. The adult cast too are fantastic, they've done so well to find a group of actors that fit perfectly with their younger counterparts from the first film.
But sadly there are negatives. The CGI is pretty poor in parts and vastly overused. By the end I got sick to death of seeing horrendous looking CGI creeps and scares. Bring back physical effects! Pennywise too also suffered from being overly CGI, which is a shame as I think he was brilliant the rest of the time and rather creepy, especially with his voice.
And then there's the length. This film is far too long, and the reason for it is because they've stuck in a ridiculous amount of flashbacks. Dont get me wrong, it was nice to see the younger cast again especially as they provided a lot of nostalgic heartwarming moments. But it was just too much. They could've left out a lot of the flashbacks, cut a good half hour off the run time and still had a pretty decent film without impacting the plot.
Despite it's negatives, I still rather enjoyed this film. It's nothing new after having seen the first part and definitely more of the same, but mostly a rather fitting end to IT.