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Immunity: The Immune Response in Infectious and Inflammatory Disease
Anthony L. DeFranco, Richard M. Locksley and Miranda Robertson
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An understanding of the immune system is central to the understanding of how the body interacts with...
Rubin's Pathology: USMLE Q&A
Medical and Education
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Take control of your study schedule with this easy to use mastery tool based on the highly respected...
Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Flame Never Dies (The Stars Never Rise, #2) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
<i>This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review </i>
Rachel Vincent’s first novel<i> The Stars Never Rise</i> introduced Young Adult readers to a whole new dystopian concept. The world as we know it has been invaded by demons who can possess the human body. After discovering she has the power of exorcism, seventeen-year-old Nina joins other teenage exorcists, including the disembodied Finn, who aim to rid their town of the parasitic creatures. However the totalitarian Unified Church, the rulers of what was once the USA, have been secretly taken over by demons and will stop at nothing to get rid of Nina and her friends.
<i>The Flame Never Dies</i> continues five months after the Anathema (the name the demons gave to the group of exorcists) escaped from the clutches of the Church. Whilst exorcising all the demons they come across, Nina and company are desperately seeking food and supplies to sustain themselves as well as nourish Nina’s heavily pregnant sister.
The story is fast paced and contains a multitude of climaxes and plot twists. Vincent omits all the mundane details resulting in a tale that appears to take place over a few days rather than weeks and months. With bombshell following bombshell it is impossible to get bored of reading or predict the final conclusion. The ending, however, is the only part of the novel that is a little disappointing. After such a build up, the speed and ease that the final burst of action takes leads to a slightly unsatisfying finale.
The key characters from the first book are all involved in <i>The Flame Never Dies</i> as well as a welcome selection of new and splendid faces. Vincent emphasises the importance of teamwork, the effects of love and the notion of hope through religious belief. Although unique, the beliefs expressed by some of the characters are not much different from the monotheistic faiths of today. As a result there is something in this book that almost everyone will be able to relate to.
<i>The Flame Never Dies</i>, in my opinion, is much more exciting and engaging than its predecessor, so if you loved <i>The Stars Never Rise</i> you can guarantee you will enjoy this too. Sadly the ending does not do the story justice, readers are left with no knowledge of how the characters survive the future, and, as this is a duology, no one will ever know. Yet despite all this, Rachel Vincent has created a fantastic piece of fiction that will no doubt be as popular as other books in its genre.
Rachel Vincent’s first novel<i> The Stars Never Rise</i> introduced Young Adult readers to a whole new dystopian concept. The world as we know it has been invaded by demons who can possess the human body. After discovering she has the power of exorcism, seventeen-year-old Nina joins other teenage exorcists, including the disembodied Finn, who aim to rid their town of the parasitic creatures. However the totalitarian Unified Church, the rulers of what was once the USA, have been secretly taken over by demons and will stop at nothing to get rid of Nina and her friends.
<i>The Flame Never Dies</i> continues five months after the Anathema (the name the demons gave to the group of exorcists) escaped from the clutches of the Church. Whilst exorcising all the demons they come across, Nina and company are desperately seeking food and supplies to sustain themselves as well as nourish Nina’s heavily pregnant sister.
The story is fast paced and contains a multitude of climaxes and plot twists. Vincent omits all the mundane details resulting in a tale that appears to take place over a few days rather than weeks and months. With bombshell following bombshell it is impossible to get bored of reading or predict the final conclusion. The ending, however, is the only part of the novel that is a little disappointing. After such a build up, the speed and ease that the final burst of action takes leads to a slightly unsatisfying finale.
The key characters from the first book are all involved in <i>The Flame Never Dies</i> as well as a welcome selection of new and splendid faces. Vincent emphasises the importance of teamwork, the effects of love and the notion of hope through religious belief. Although unique, the beliefs expressed by some of the characters are not much different from the monotheistic faiths of today. As a result there is something in this book that almost everyone will be able to relate to.
<i>The Flame Never Dies</i>, in my opinion, is much more exciting and engaging than its predecessor, so if you loved <i>The Stars Never Rise</i> you can guarantee you will enjoy this too. Sadly the ending does not do the story justice, readers are left with no knowledge of how the characters survive the future, and, as this is a duology, no one will ever know. Yet despite all this, Rachel Vincent has created a fantastic piece of fiction that will no doubt be as popular as other books in its genre.
Alice (12 KP) rated The Ninth Rain in Books
Jul 3, 2018
<i>I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review</i>
The Ninth Rain is the first book of a new trilogy from my new go-to author Jen Williams. As in her previous books, Jen Williams creates a world like no other, a world where witches, vampires (of a sort) and giant bats coexist to an extent; a world where gods existed and massive war-beasts once lived and fought, where parasitic beetles are the enemy.
I invite you all to most heartily buy this book, read this book, pause and read it again and again.
Once again Jen Williams has created a trio of characters to love in similar veins to her Copper Cat trilogy, though different in their individual way:
-Noon – a fell-witch from the plains imprisoned in the Winnowry for her crime of being born with power.
-Lady Vincenza ‘Vintage’ de Grazon – A human scholar with a love of all things Jure’lia, a constant hunt for knowledge and cash to splash.
-Tormalin the Oathless – an Eboran mercenary trained in the ways of The House of the Long Night.
Three brilliant characters that each bring their own special flair to this book. Tor is witty and sarcastic, Vintage is much the same but show her eccentricities and has a heart of gold, Noon originally so frightened comes into her own on the journey she shares with Vintage and Tor. Another perfect trio of characters.
The plot for this book resolves around the Jure’lia- or worm-people- who came to Sarn and waged war; the Eighth Rain came from the Eboran God Ygseril, a silvery birth of war-beasts who fought off the Jure’lia and their Behemoths and then passed on themselves. Since the end of the Eighth Rain the war-beasts have been extinct and Ebora started to die.
The book follows Vintage and Tor on their journey through Mushenka and the rest of Sarn in pursuit of knowledge of the Jure’lia- eccentric explorer Vintage’s Poison of choice. They enter the Wild and come across Noon, an escaped fell-witch masquerading as an agent of the Winnowry and from then on their journey becomes a lot less regular and and lot more interesting!
Lots of fire! Lots of action and the sweetest romantic creation I’ve read in a long time – a minor bit of romance that does not detract from the overwhelming fantasy that is this book.
Jen’s world building skills are akin to no other, her cities are ancient but with a modern flair, her enemies disgustingly brilliant and savagely evil, her heroes full of charm and heart. The writing style sucks you in and doesn’t let you go until long after you’ve hit the end of the book and leaves you wanting more.
There are no words strong enough for me to describe how utterly brilliant The Ninth Rain was – not just the story the name comes from but the overall storyline. The characters, plot, balance between good versus evil and everything in between – outstanding.
A great read with heart and soul and epic beasties. I highly recommend this book.
The Ninth Rain is the first book of a new trilogy from my new go-to author Jen Williams. As in her previous books, Jen Williams creates a world like no other, a world where witches, vampires (of a sort) and giant bats coexist to an extent; a world where gods existed and massive war-beasts once lived and fought, where parasitic beetles are the enemy.
I invite you all to most heartily buy this book, read this book, pause and read it again and again.
Once again Jen Williams has created a trio of characters to love in similar veins to her Copper Cat trilogy, though different in their individual way:
-Noon – a fell-witch from the plains imprisoned in the Winnowry for her crime of being born with power.
-Lady Vincenza ‘Vintage’ de Grazon – A human scholar with a love of all things Jure’lia, a constant hunt for knowledge and cash to splash.
-Tormalin the Oathless – an Eboran mercenary trained in the ways of The House of the Long Night.
Three brilliant characters that each bring their own special flair to this book. Tor is witty and sarcastic, Vintage is much the same but show her eccentricities and has a heart of gold, Noon originally so frightened comes into her own on the journey she shares with Vintage and Tor. Another perfect trio of characters.
The plot for this book resolves around the Jure’lia- or worm-people- who came to Sarn and waged war; the Eighth Rain came from the Eboran God Ygseril, a silvery birth of war-beasts who fought off the Jure’lia and their Behemoths and then passed on themselves. Since the end of the Eighth Rain the war-beasts have been extinct and Ebora started to die.
The book follows Vintage and Tor on their journey through Mushenka and the rest of Sarn in pursuit of knowledge of the Jure’lia- eccentric explorer Vintage’s Poison of choice. They enter the Wild and come across Noon, an escaped fell-witch masquerading as an agent of the Winnowry and from then on their journey becomes a lot less regular and and lot more interesting!
Lots of fire! Lots of action and the sweetest romantic creation I’ve read in a long time – a minor bit of romance that does not detract from the overwhelming fantasy that is this book.
Jen’s world building skills are akin to no other, her cities are ancient but with a modern flair, her enemies disgustingly brilliant and savagely evil, her heroes full of charm and heart. The writing style sucks you in and doesn’t let you go until long after you’ve hit the end of the book and leaves you wanting more.
There are no words strong enough for me to describe how utterly brilliant The Ninth Rain was – not just the story the name comes from but the overall storyline. The characters, plot, balance between good versus evil and everything in between – outstanding.
A great read with heart and soul and epic beasties. I highly recommend this book.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated the PC version of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Extraction in Video Games
Jan 26, 2022
The latest game in the immensely popular Rainbow Six series has arrived with Rainbow Six: Extraction.
The series features intense squad-based action as players form teams to infiltrate, extract, eliminate, and survive various missions.
Using stealth, tech, weapons, and patience; players have to find the best way to enter a location, avoid or eliminate enemies, and complete objectives while working as a cohesive unit.
This time around the enemy is a parasitic alien race and players must form three-person squads or venture through the locales solo or with a single partner.
Players will select an operative; each with a primary and secondary weapon and two tactical devices such as grenades, mines, revive shots, armor, and drones. As time goes on and players level up; new technology can be researched and used as having the right loadout is essential. Players will also have unique skilsl ranging from gun emplacements, medical, cloaking, and more which can be used in a limited situation and must be replenished as the missions unfolds.
Missions are set in three zones such as New York, San Francisco, Alaska, and more become available as players reach a certain level and naturally they become progressively harder and more intense.
Each zone has random missions and when players select a locale, difficulty level, and their operative; they will encounter missions ranging from elimination, extraction, scanning, and targeting specific strategic locales.
The enemy is very cunning and ruthless and can cloak, shape-shift, and explode amongst their myriad of hostile actions, and players must attack, evade, and work with one another to complete the missions and survive. At the end of a level; players can opt to enter an airlock and move to the next segment or return to an exfiltration zone to end the mission.
This is where the real tactics of the game come into play as health is limited as can be ammunition so players who encounter a difficult mission where they sustain damage or lose a player have to make a hard choice. Players do not die in the game as they are enveloped with a stasis foam should they sustain enough damage.
As such the remaining team must decide to carry the downed player to an Extraction Pod or leave them behind so they can carry on or they can flee to safety. This is not always an easy decision as seeing your team decimated and barely making it to safety with only a small amount of health makes even the most determined player think twice about venturing back in.
Should a player be lost; their experience is deducted from the player and will remain deducted until the character is rescued on a future mission. Seeing your roster of skilled Operatives reduced to a couple of unproven newbies is very humbling and thankfully the maps are very detailed and engaging as players will get very used to playing in the locales frequently before new areas are made available to them.
The action of the game is intense as players can use stealth or run and gun depending on the mission and the variety of enemies and missions is good.
I do wish the Quick Play would allow players to select the skill level they would like to play in and that there was a server list to select from; that being said; at $39.99 and available on Game Pass; Rainbow Six Extraction is a great deal as the cross-play enabled game ensures plenty of players to venture into danger with but like the best games of the series; having the right group of players is essential as I have lost many players due to wild cards not following mission objectives.
Intense, engaging, and deeply entertaining; Rainbow Six Extraction delivers even if it does differ from what fans have come to expect.
4 stars out of 5
The series features intense squad-based action as players form teams to infiltrate, extract, eliminate, and survive various missions.
Using stealth, tech, weapons, and patience; players have to find the best way to enter a location, avoid or eliminate enemies, and complete objectives while working as a cohesive unit.
This time around the enemy is a parasitic alien race and players must form three-person squads or venture through the locales solo or with a single partner.
Players will select an operative; each with a primary and secondary weapon and two tactical devices such as grenades, mines, revive shots, armor, and drones. As time goes on and players level up; new technology can be researched and used as having the right loadout is essential. Players will also have unique skilsl ranging from gun emplacements, medical, cloaking, and more which can be used in a limited situation and must be replenished as the missions unfolds.
Missions are set in three zones such as New York, San Francisco, Alaska, and more become available as players reach a certain level and naturally they become progressively harder and more intense.
Each zone has random missions and when players select a locale, difficulty level, and their operative; they will encounter missions ranging from elimination, extraction, scanning, and targeting specific strategic locales.
The enemy is very cunning and ruthless and can cloak, shape-shift, and explode amongst their myriad of hostile actions, and players must attack, evade, and work with one another to complete the missions and survive. At the end of a level; players can opt to enter an airlock and move to the next segment or return to an exfiltration zone to end the mission.
This is where the real tactics of the game come into play as health is limited as can be ammunition so players who encounter a difficult mission where they sustain damage or lose a player have to make a hard choice. Players do not die in the game as they are enveloped with a stasis foam should they sustain enough damage.
As such the remaining team must decide to carry the downed player to an Extraction Pod or leave them behind so they can carry on or they can flee to safety. This is not always an easy decision as seeing your team decimated and barely making it to safety with only a small amount of health makes even the most determined player think twice about venturing back in.
Should a player be lost; their experience is deducted from the player and will remain deducted until the character is rescued on a future mission. Seeing your roster of skilled Operatives reduced to a couple of unproven newbies is very humbling and thankfully the maps are very detailed and engaging as players will get very used to playing in the locales frequently before new areas are made available to them.
The action of the game is intense as players can use stealth or run and gun depending on the mission and the variety of enemies and missions is good.
I do wish the Quick Play would allow players to select the skill level they would like to play in and that there was a server list to select from; that being said; at $39.99 and available on Game Pass; Rainbow Six Extraction is a great deal as the cross-play enabled game ensures plenty of players to venture into danger with but like the best games of the series; having the right group of players is essential as I have lost many players due to wild cards not following mission objectives.
Intense, engaging, and deeply entertaining; Rainbow Six Extraction delivers even if it does differ from what fans have come to expect.
4 stars out of 5
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Slither (2006) in Movies
Aug 14, 2019
Mixing elements of The Blob, The Fly, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Night of the Creeps and countless other horror films, the new Horror/Comedy Slither has oozed its way into theaters with a mix that will likely delight hardcore horror fans.
The film is set in a small southern town and features the usual mix of horror film stereotypes. There is the Chief of Police named Bill Pardy (Nathan Fillon) who watched over the sleepy town while secretly holding a torch for the lovely Starla Grant (Elizabeth Banks). The only issue is Starla’s older husband Grant (Michael Rooker), who is not only a very prosperous man, but took Starla in when she was younger and provided for her.
Of course there are also the stock characters of the loud and obnoxious Mayor of the town (Gregg Henry), who is more trouble than he is good and spouts a string of profanity and insensitive remarks that would make a Drill Instructor blush. Add to the mix the various assortments of yokels, deputies and towns folk, and you have a setting ripe for invasion.
The invasion arrives in the form of a meteor that breaks apart in the atmosphere save for a small segment that lands harmlessly in the woods. Unfortunately, an organism has hitched a ride on the meteor and in short order a parasitic organism has infected Grant causing him to exhibit odd behavior and have a ravenous desire for large amounts of meat in all forms.
Despite the changes, Grant still has his eye firmly on his wife and as the changes become more and more radical, he becomes even more fixated upon his wife.
Eventually Grant’s odd behavior and ongoing transformation has him on the run from the authorities who organize a manhunt to bring him in and end the carnage in his path.
Naturally things do not go as planned as before long there are hordes of slug like creatures unleashed upon the town whose entire purpose is to infect the town making zombies out of all who are infected.
As if all of this was not bad enough, Bill must figure out how to protect those uninfected people as well as search for a way to end the devastation at all cost.
Slither is a film that strives to blend horror and comedy but seems better suited to be a comedic send up of the horror genre. Unlike the “Scary Movie” series, it does not come in as a parody but rather presents itself as a horror film, yet one that seems devoid of any real suspense or frights. There is plenty of gore, violence, and other mayhem in the film, but at my advanced screenings the vast majority of the film garnered laughs from the audience rather than shrieks.
Since there were several segments of the film that were obviously intended to create laughs such as the zombie family trying to coax their uninfected daughter out of hiding by proclaiming she is missing out on family fun day, and a very gory, yet humorous outcome for a yokel who decides to stand down a very infected Grant armed only with a pistol.
James Gunn who did such a good job with the “Dawn of the Dead” lets it all out as writer and Director for Slither, but seems unsure if he is trying to make a comedy or a horror film with comedic elements. To me the film works best as a comedy as the over simplified resolution combined with the strained performances and simple plot as well as the genuine lack of any suspense or scares seriously undermined this film for me as a horror film.
That being said, if you look at the film as a gross out comedy set amidst a generic horror backdrop where the plot, acting, and other pitfalls were designed elements, then the film works.
If you are looking for a bad horror movie with some funny moments, than Slither may indeed be your thing, as it is either a very bad horror film, or one of the best satirical tributes of the genre to date. I choose to pick the latter.
The film is set in a small southern town and features the usual mix of horror film stereotypes. There is the Chief of Police named Bill Pardy (Nathan Fillon) who watched over the sleepy town while secretly holding a torch for the lovely Starla Grant (Elizabeth Banks). The only issue is Starla’s older husband Grant (Michael Rooker), who is not only a very prosperous man, but took Starla in when she was younger and provided for her.
Of course there are also the stock characters of the loud and obnoxious Mayor of the town (Gregg Henry), who is more trouble than he is good and spouts a string of profanity and insensitive remarks that would make a Drill Instructor blush. Add to the mix the various assortments of yokels, deputies and towns folk, and you have a setting ripe for invasion.
The invasion arrives in the form of a meteor that breaks apart in the atmosphere save for a small segment that lands harmlessly in the woods. Unfortunately, an organism has hitched a ride on the meteor and in short order a parasitic organism has infected Grant causing him to exhibit odd behavior and have a ravenous desire for large amounts of meat in all forms.
Despite the changes, Grant still has his eye firmly on his wife and as the changes become more and more radical, he becomes even more fixated upon his wife.
Eventually Grant’s odd behavior and ongoing transformation has him on the run from the authorities who organize a manhunt to bring him in and end the carnage in his path.
Naturally things do not go as planned as before long there are hordes of slug like creatures unleashed upon the town whose entire purpose is to infect the town making zombies out of all who are infected.
As if all of this was not bad enough, Bill must figure out how to protect those uninfected people as well as search for a way to end the devastation at all cost.
Slither is a film that strives to blend horror and comedy but seems better suited to be a comedic send up of the horror genre. Unlike the “Scary Movie” series, it does not come in as a parody but rather presents itself as a horror film, yet one that seems devoid of any real suspense or frights. There is plenty of gore, violence, and other mayhem in the film, but at my advanced screenings the vast majority of the film garnered laughs from the audience rather than shrieks.
Since there were several segments of the film that were obviously intended to create laughs such as the zombie family trying to coax their uninfected daughter out of hiding by proclaiming she is missing out on family fun day, and a very gory, yet humorous outcome for a yokel who decides to stand down a very infected Grant armed only with a pistol.
James Gunn who did such a good job with the “Dawn of the Dead” lets it all out as writer and Director for Slither, but seems unsure if he is trying to make a comedy or a horror film with comedic elements. To me the film works best as a comedy as the over simplified resolution combined with the strained performances and simple plot as well as the genuine lack of any suspense or scares seriously undermined this film for me as a horror film.
That being said, if you look at the film as a gross out comedy set amidst a generic horror backdrop where the plot, acting, and other pitfalls were designed elements, then the film works.
If you are looking for a bad horror movie with some funny moments, than Slither may indeed be your thing, as it is either a very bad horror film, or one of the best satirical tributes of the genre to date. I choose to pick the latter.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Host (2013) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
In Stephanie Meyer’s adult sci-fi novel “The Host”, Melanie is one of the few remaining humans on Earth who hasn’t been physically taken over by a Soul. Souls are parasitic aliens that are surgically implanted into humans and take over the host body. In most cases, all that remains of the human are their memories. But not in Melanie’s case. Pursued by human-hunting Souls called “Seekers”, Melanie (Saoirse Ronan) launches herself out of a window to escape capture, but miraculously survives the fall to be captured anyway. In the hands of the aliens, Melanie is implanted with a Soul called “Wanderer” who finds herself fighting internally with her host who is alive and well in the Wanderer’s head.
It’s Wanderer’s job to dig through Melanie’s memories to find out where other humans, like Melanie’s brother Jamie and boyfriend Jared are hiding. Melanie is uncooperative and Wanderer is soon convinced she needs to be removed from Melanie’s body. But no one wants the information on the humans more than the head Seeker (Diane Kruger). Neither Melanie nor Wanderer trust Seeker to not replace Wanderer with herself, so Melanie/Wanderer escape to find a Healer who can remove Wanderer from Melanie. On the way, Melanie convinces Wanderer to help her find her Uncle Jeb whom Melanie, Jamie and Jared had been seeking before Melanie was captured.
It’s Uncle Jeb who eventually discovers his lost and dehydrated niece and takes her to his hideout, a network of caves inside an inactive volcano that houses about 3 dozen humans. There Melanie is reunited with her little brother and her boyfriend, but is soundly rejected by her Jared when he realizes she’s host to a Soul. Wanderer has to win the humans trust, which is difficult, to say the least, when all the humans want to do is kill her. This includes a boy named Ian who, after attempting to choke Wanderer to death, finds himself attracted to Wanderer, much to Jared and Melanie’s consternation.
If this review hasn’t put you to sleep already, congratulations! There’s a slight chance then that you’ll make it through the movie. While Ronan plays Melanie/Wanderer beautifully, hers was the only performance that had some semblance of emotion. Even John Hurt, who plays Uncle Jeb, looked like he had just enough energy and interest to utter a few words simply for laughs. Jared, played by Max Irons (yes, Jeremy’s son) is adequately sigh-worthy, as indicated by the teens present, and so is Ian, played by Jake Abel albeit in a less brooding manner.
While the Souls are supposed to be a peaceful race, Kruger’s Seeker is deadly intent on finding Wanderer. This is the film’s only true conflict and it’s lackluster at best. One moviegoer who read the book said the movie followed the novel closely, but the movie did away with quite a few ancillary characters. I think my husband said it best when he told me, “I never thought I’d utter these words, but Twilight was better.” Just like Twilight rewrote vampire and werewolf mythology, The Host tries to portray the story’s aliens as harmless, peaceful invaders. For someone who grew up with the Alien franchise, I think it was difficult for my husband to accept the delicate, fluttery, dandelion-esque Souls and their “peaceful” assault on Earth, much less the awkward teenage love triangle. Or square, rather.
Not having read the book yet, I went into the movie with little more than a synopsis of the plot. I had no expectations so I wasn’t terribly disappointed by the movie but I must admit I struggled more than usual to stay awake. Most of those in the audience who read the book seemed okay with its theatrical adaptation but that’s just it. No one was wowed and there was an almost tangible malaise to the crowd as we exited the theater. These advance screeners are promoted to create buzz, and good movies literally have that excited buzz as the audience exits the theater. The only buzz after this movie was the static caused by the slow shuffle of feet as we piled out of the theater. If you’re a true Meyer fan, I’m sure there’s no stopping you from catching this movie but if you’re not, there’s really no compelling you to watch.
It’s Wanderer’s job to dig through Melanie’s memories to find out where other humans, like Melanie’s brother Jamie and boyfriend Jared are hiding. Melanie is uncooperative and Wanderer is soon convinced she needs to be removed from Melanie’s body. But no one wants the information on the humans more than the head Seeker (Diane Kruger). Neither Melanie nor Wanderer trust Seeker to not replace Wanderer with herself, so Melanie/Wanderer escape to find a Healer who can remove Wanderer from Melanie. On the way, Melanie convinces Wanderer to help her find her Uncle Jeb whom Melanie, Jamie and Jared had been seeking before Melanie was captured.
It’s Uncle Jeb who eventually discovers his lost and dehydrated niece and takes her to his hideout, a network of caves inside an inactive volcano that houses about 3 dozen humans. There Melanie is reunited with her little brother and her boyfriend, but is soundly rejected by her Jared when he realizes she’s host to a Soul. Wanderer has to win the humans trust, which is difficult, to say the least, when all the humans want to do is kill her. This includes a boy named Ian who, after attempting to choke Wanderer to death, finds himself attracted to Wanderer, much to Jared and Melanie’s consternation.
If this review hasn’t put you to sleep already, congratulations! There’s a slight chance then that you’ll make it through the movie. While Ronan plays Melanie/Wanderer beautifully, hers was the only performance that had some semblance of emotion. Even John Hurt, who plays Uncle Jeb, looked like he had just enough energy and interest to utter a few words simply for laughs. Jared, played by Max Irons (yes, Jeremy’s son) is adequately sigh-worthy, as indicated by the teens present, and so is Ian, played by Jake Abel albeit in a less brooding manner.
While the Souls are supposed to be a peaceful race, Kruger’s Seeker is deadly intent on finding Wanderer. This is the film’s only true conflict and it’s lackluster at best. One moviegoer who read the book said the movie followed the novel closely, but the movie did away with quite a few ancillary characters. I think my husband said it best when he told me, “I never thought I’d utter these words, but Twilight was better.” Just like Twilight rewrote vampire and werewolf mythology, The Host tries to portray the story’s aliens as harmless, peaceful invaders. For someone who grew up with the Alien franchise, I think it was difficult for my husband to accept the delicate, fluttery, dandelion-esque Souls and their “peaceful” assault on Earth, much less the awkward teenage love triangle. Or square, rather.
Not having read the book yet, I went into the movie with little more than a synopsis of the plot. I had no expectations so I wasn’t terribly disappointed by the movie but I must admit I struggled more than usual to stay awake. Most of those in the audience who read the book seemed okay with its theatrical adaptation but that’s just it. No one was wowed and there was an almost tangible malaise to the crowd as we exited the theater. These advance screeners are promoted to create buzz, and good movies literally have that excited buzz as the audience exits the theater. The only buzz after this movie was the static caused by the slow shuffle of feet as we piled out of the theater. If you’re a true Meyer fan, I’m sure there’s no stopping you from catching this movie but if you’re not, there’s really no compelling you to watch.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) in Movies
Sep 30, 2021
Venom: Let There Be Carnage Has Some Moments But Could Have Been So Much More
When audiences last saw Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy); the journalist and his parasitic symbiote Venom; had just saved the day and cemented their unusual bond with one another.
In the new film “Venom: Let There Be Carnage”; Eddie and Venom are at the end of their Honeymoon phase as Venom is lingering to be free to eat bad people and do what is natural for him. Eddie meanwhile wants a more conservative approach feeding Venom chicken and chocolate as he knows the eyes of the authorities are still upon him and he has to convince the world that Venom is dead and no longer a threat.
At the same time; serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson) has selected Eddie to interview him in San Quentin and the two form an unusual connection as Cletus cryptically speaks to Eddie which underlines a deeper motivation.
With the help of Venom; Eddie is able to decipher clues found on the walls of Cletus’s cell which leads authorities to several of his victims. This results in a rapid rise in status for Eddie and fast tracks Cletus for execution as his main means of leverage is now gone.
This leads to a rift where Eddie and Venom split and each has to struggle to adjust to life without one another.
At this point, the film has mainly been odd bits of whimsy between Venom and Eddie around the establishment of the plot and threat. However, things go into chaos mode when Cletus becomes infected with a Symbiote and turns into a destruction spewing death machine known as “Carnage”.
Cletus and Carnage both have their own agendas and Cletus uses Carnage to exact his revenge as well as locate a figure from his past that is as big a danger as he is.
As any fan of films of this genre knows; this scenario leads to a showdown between the central characters which are awash in abundant CGI, loud noises, and destruction. While this is not a bad thing and certainly one of the main reasons I enjoy films of this type; the film never seemed to fully click for me and as such was not as good as I thought it could have been.
In many ways, the film reminded me of how comic-based films were done before Marvel started their own studios and their phenomenal run of hits based on their work.
There have been multiple attempts to adapt comics into films over the last few decades and many of them have not lived up to expectations or failed outright. One of the biggest reasons is in my opinion is that those behind the projects were hindered by the studio, wanted to put their own spin on the material and strayed from the source; or failed to show the attributes that made the characters so appealing to fans.
What we often get is action sequences and CGI galore but without stories or characters that fully draw in the audience and fail to capture the essence of the comics.
Director Andy Serkis has done a great job with the visuals of the film but the tone seems off. The early part of the film is filled with comedic moments that are either hit or miss. Some of which was almost to the point where I wondered if it was supposed to be a parody.
The plot is fairly linear with nothing unexpected as it is simply bad guys get loose; bad guys cause death and destruction, can the heroes stop them. The climactic scene lacks any “wow” moments for me as it was mainly CGI characters rapidly moving around causing damage to one another and their environment. There was no real tension for me and the ultimate resolution seemed a bit anti-climactic.
For me the best moment of the film was a mid-credits scene that really popped as it sets up all sorts of interesting options and indicates that Venom may be about to graduate to bigger and better things.
For now; the cast is solid as is the CGI; I just wish the story was more engaging as it had the potential to be so much more.
3 stars out of 5
In the new film “Venom: Let There Be Carnage”; Eddie and Venom are at the end of their Honeymoon phase as Venom is lingering to be free to eat bad people and do what is natural for him. Eddie meanwhile wants a more conservative approach feeding Venom chicken and chocolate as he knows the eyes of the authorities are still upon him and he has to convince the world that Venom is dead and no longer a threat.
At the same time; serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson) has selected Eddie to interview him in San Quentin and the two form an unusual connection as Cletus cryptically speaks to Eddie which underlines a deeper motivation.
With the help of Venom; Eddie is able to decipher clues found on the walls of Cletus’s cell which leads authorities to several of his victims. This results in a rapid rise in status for Eddie and fast tracks Cletus for execution as his main means of leverage is now gone.
This leads to a rift where Eddie and Venom split and each has to struggle to adjust to life without one another.
At this point, the film has mainly been odd bits of whimsy between Venom and Eddie around the establishment of the plot and threat. However, things go into chaos mode when Cletus becomes infected with a Symbiote and turns into a destruction spewing death machine known as “Carnage”.
Cletus and Carnage both have their own agendas and Cletus uses Carnage to exact his revenge as well as locate a figure from his past that is as big a danger as he is.
As any fan of films of this genre knows; this scenario leads to a showdown between the central characters which are awash in abundant CGI, loud noises, and destruction. While this is not a bad thing and certainly one of the main reasons I enjoy films of this type; the film never seemed to fully click for me and as such was not as good as I thought it could have been.
In many ways, the film reminded me of how comic-based films were done before Marvel started their own studios and their phenomenal run of hits based on their work.
There have been multiple attempts to adapt comics into films over the last few decades and many of them have not lived up to expectations or failed outright. One of the biggest reasons is in my opinion is that those behind the projects were hindered by the studio, wanted to put their own spin on the material and strayed from the source; or failed to show the attributes that made the characters so appealing to fans.
What we often get is action sequences and CGI galore but without stories or characters that fully draw in the audience and fail to capture the essence of the comics.
Director Andy Serkis has done a great job with the visuals of the film but the tone seems off. The early part of the film is filled with comedic moments that are either hit or miss. Some of which was almost to the point where I wondered if it was supposed to be a parody.
The plot is fairly linear with nothing unexpected as it is simply bad guys get loose; bad guys cause death and destruction, can the heroes stop them. The climactic scene lacks any “wow” moments for me as it was mainly CGI characters rapidly moving around causing damage to one another and their environment. There was no real tension for me and the ultimate resolution seemed a bit anti-climactic.
For me the best moment of the film was a mid-credits scene that really popped as it sets up all sorts of interesting options and indicates that Venom may be about to graduate to bigger and better things.
For now; the cast is solid as is the CGI; I just wish the story was more engaging as it had the potential to be so much more.
3 stars out of 5