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Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated the PC version of Mortal Shell in Video Games
Oct 8, 2020
Beautiful Scenery (1 more)
Hardening Skill can save you when you screw up
Back in 2009 Demon’s Soul, a PlayStation 3 exclusive, made its way into the hands of players around the world. The game was punishingly difficult, and was revered for its no handholding, brutally steep learning curve. A game that harkened back to the days of old, when video games were more about a player spending hour upon hour of mastering its nuances then relying on a never-ending supply of save games. This game, and the even more popular successor Dark Souls, gave way to its own genre defining style, the “souls-like” game. Since those genre defining years, several companies have tried to take inspiration from the originals and craft them into their own unique experiences. Whether that be futuristic takes such as Surge 2, or sticking to a familiar fantasy setting, with mixed results. Enter the latest in this genre, a game developed by the fine folks at Cold Symetry, released on Windows, Xbox and PlayStation.
Mortal Shell is an “souls-like” action role playing game, where you are a creature whose unique ability is to inhabit the bodies of fallen warriors scattered across the realm of Fallgrim. Much like its inspiration, Fallgrim is a land that is bleak and unforgiving. Whether you are traipsing across murky swamps, filled with bear tramps and poisonous frogs, snowy fields or fiery plains, there are always an unending supply of enemies that you must contend with. Each “shell” you inhabit offers up a distinct playstyle and upgrade tree that should appeal to every unique player.
The first shell you inhabit, is what I refer to as the Jack-of-All trades shell, Harros. Harros is a traditional knight like character that has a balance of health, stamina, and resolve (the statistic that allows you to use your special upgrades applied to your weapon of choice). As you progress through the story, you will come across three other shells for you to inhabit, that you can switch between as you wish. This allows you to vary your play style between Eredrim, a tank-architype with lots of health but low stamina, Tiel, the acolyte with less health but is more agile and able to dodge and roll out of the way, or Solomon, who has the most resolve. Each character upgrade requires Tar (the gold of Fallgrim) and Glimpses. These are acquired by defeating enemies, and through gathering various plants throughout your journey.
In addition to the four shells, there are also four upgradable weapons that can be found along your journey. You begin with the Hollow Sword but will come across others to aid you on your quest. There is the Hammer and Chisel, a dual wield, fast attack, but lower damage weapon. The Martyr’s Blade, a heavy two-handed sword that does massive damage but is slow to attack. Lastly, The Smoldering Mace. All of these can be upgrades with special attacks that are initiated by your characters resolve, that can do an incredible amount of damage when initiated.
Combat occurs by locking onto your opponent and then utilizing fast and heavy attacks to defeat them. Experimenting with executing fast and heavy in specific sequences will result in numerous combos that do additional damage and stagger your foes. Mortal Shells unique blocking ability is what the game refers to as Hardening. Hardening, does exactly as the name suggests, turning yourself into stone and blocking most incoming attacks. It can be initiated at practically any time, even during the middle of your attack, allowing you to brush off an incoming attack and finish up with an epic strike. Learning the best time and place to use your hardening skill, is the key to overcoming your most difficult opponents, and ultimately slaying them in the process. There is also a parry aspect, which you obtain at the beginning of your quest, that allows you to parry incoming blows, and respond with devastating effect. Be aware that not all attacks can be parried, and your Tarnished Seal Emblem (which enables your skill) will glow red to warn you of this.
During combat, if your health reaches zero, you will be pushed out of your shell (which reminded me of playing a mech game where your mech is destroyed and you are automatically ejected). You are given the chance to climb back into your shell, but if you are hit while outside of your shell you will almost always die quickly. If your health reaches zero again, you die and you return back to Sester Genessa, a shadowy figure who acts like a bonfire from the souls’ games. As with the games before it, dying forces you to drop your tar and re-spawns all enemies that you have killed previously. Returning to your body allows you to retrieve your tar and restores all your health.
One of the more interesting aspects of the game is in the use of items you discover during your adventure. Most items effects will be unknown until you use the item, which forces you to experiment with everything you find. As you use the item more frequently you become more familiar with the item, and as that familiarity grows, the effects grow as well. Some will damage you in the beginning, only to benefit you as you grow more familiar with them, others you will utilize at the wrong time, and not benefit from the effect, but you will still learn from the experience. In this way Mortal Shell rewards you for experimentation, and forces those who like to hoard their findings for “when the right time arrives to use it” to utilize it and learn from it.
Much like the Souls-like games that inspired it, Mortal Shell could almost be mistaken for one of the games it garnered inspiration from. The setting, the characters, even the fonts used, could easily have been taken directly from a Dark Souls game. You’d be forgiven if someone came up to you and asked you which of the Dark Souls games you are playing. That’s not to say that Mortal Shell doesn’t distinguish itself in other ways, but on the surface, it would be easy to mistake it for another clone. The sound design, the graphic design, is all very well done, so at least the inspiration is put to good use in Mortal Shell
While Mortal Shell generally plays fast and well, there are a couple of instances where death seemed to come due to little I had control over. There are various cut scenes where you are crawling through tunnels, and you come out on the other side. Occasionally your character will be attacked immediately follow the cut scene, which gives you little time to react. There are ways to time your crawl, as to not emerge immediately into a group of baddies, but nothing frustrated me more, when I came across these areas. The difficulty and learning curve are about as difficult as one would expect from such a game.
If you are a fan of Dark Souls or Souls-like games, there is a lot to like in Mortal Shell. Most of the gameplay and style will feel immediately familiar, and there is just enough uniqueness in the game to satisfy veterans of the soul’s type games. If you have been put off by the difficulty of souls-like games in the past, Mortal Shell doesn’t differ enough from the formula to likely change your mind. While it’s not as long as the games that inspire it, it’s hard to beat the price ($29.99 on the Epic Store), and it’s refreshing enough to act as a place holder until the Demon’s Soul remake becomes available
What I liked: Beautiful Scenery, Hardening Skill can save you when you screw up
What I liked less: No real direction on where to start
Mortal Shell is an “souls-like” action role playing game, where you are a creature whose unique ability is to inhabit the bodies of fallen warriors scattered across the realm of Fallgrim. Much like its inspiration, Fallgrim is a land that is bleak and unforgiving. Whether you are traipsing across murky swamps, filled with bear tramps and poisonous frogs, snowy fields or fiery plains, there are always an unending supply of enemies that you must contend with. Each “shell” you inhabit offers up a distinct playstyle and upgrade tree that should appeal to every unique player.
The first shell you inhabit, is what I refer to as the Jack-of-All trades shell, Harros. Harros is a traditional knight like character that has a balance of health, stamina, and resolve (the statistic that allows you to use your special upgrades applied to your weapon of choice). As you progress through the story, you will come across three other shells for you to inhabit, that you can switch between as you wish. This allows you to vary your play style between Eredrim, a tank-architype with lots of health but low stamina, Tiel, the acolyte with less health but is more agile and able to dodge and roll out of the way, or Solomon, who has the most resolve. Each character upgrade requires Tar (the gold of Fallgrim) and Glimpses. These are acquired by defeating enemies, and through gathering various plants throughout your journey.
In addition to the four shells, there are also four upgradable weapons that can be found along your journey. You begin with the Hollow Sword but will come across others to aid you on your quest. There is the Hammer and Chisel, a dual wield, fast attack, but lower damage weapon. The Martyr’s Blade, a heavy two-handed sword that does massive damage but is slow to attack. Lastly, The Smoldering Mace. All of these can be upgrades with special attacks that are initiated by your characters resolve, that can do an incredible amount of damage when initiated.
Combat occurs by locking onto your opponent and then utilizing fast and heavy attacks to defeat them. Experimenting with executing fast and heavy in specific sequences will result in numerous combos that do additional damage and stagger your foes. Mortal Shells unique blocking ability is what the game refers to as Hardening. Hardening, does exactly as the name suggests, turning yourself into stone and blocking most incoming attacks. It can be initiated at practically any time, even during the middle of your attack, allowing you to brush off an incoming attack and finish up with an epic strike. Learning the best time and place to use your hardening skill, is the key to overcoming your most difficult opponents, and ultimately slaying them in the process. There is also a parry aspect, which you obtain at the beginning of your quest, that allows you to parry incoming blows, and respond with devastating effect. Be aware that not all attacks can be parried, and your Tarnished Seal Emblem (which enables your skill) will glow red to warn you of this.
During combat, if your health reaches zero, you will be pushed out of your shell (which reminded me of playing a mech game where your mech is destroyed and you are automatically ejected). You are given the chance to climb back into your shell, but if you are hit while outside of your shell you will almost always die quickly. If your health reaches zero again, you die and you return back to Sester Genessa, a shadowy figure who acts like a bonfire from the souls’ games. As with the games before it, dying forces you to drop your tar and re-spawns all enemies that you have killed previously. Returning to your body allows you to retrieve your tar and restores all your health.
One of the more interesting aspects of the game is in the use of items you discover during your adventure. Most items effects will be unknown until you use the item, which forces you to experiment with everything you find. As you use the item more frequently you become more familiar with the item, and as that familiarity grows, the effects grow as well. Some will damage you in the beginning, only to benefit you as you grow more familiar with them, others you will utilize at the wrong time, and not benefit from the effect, but you will still learn from the experience. In this way Mortal Shell rewards you for experimentation, and forces those who like to hoard their findings for “when the right time arrives to use it” to utilize it and learn from it.
Much like the Souls-like games that inspired it, Mortal Shell could almost be mistaken for one of the games it garnered inspiration from. The setting, the characters, even the fonts used, could easily have been taken directly from a Dark Souls game. You’d be forgiven if someone came up to you and asked you which of the Dark Souls games you are playing. That’s not to say that Mortal Shell doesn’t distinguish itself in other ways, but on the surface, it would be easy to mistake it for another clone. The sound design, the graphic design, is all very well done, so at least the inspiration is put to good use in Mortal Shell
While Mortal Shell generally plays fast and well, there are a couple of instances where death seemed to come due to little I had control over. There are various cut scenes where you are crawling through tunnels, and you come out on the other side. Occasionally your character will be attacked immediately follow the cut scene, which gives you little time to react. There are ways to time your crawl, as to not emerge immediately into a group of baddies, but nothing frustrated me more, when I came across these areas. The difficulty and learning curve are about as difficult as one would expect from such a game.
If you are a fan of Dark Souls or Souls-like games, there is a lot to like in Mortal Shell. Most of the gameplay and style will feel immediately familiar, and there is just enough uniqueness in the game to satisfy veterans of the soul’s type games. If you have been put off by the difficulty of souls-like games in the past, Mortal Shell doesn’t differ enough from the formula to likely change your mind. While it’s not as long as the games that inspire it, it’s hard to beat the price ($29.99 on the Epic Store), and it’s refreshing enough to act as a place holder until the Demon’s Soul remake becomes available
What I liked: Beautiful Scenery, Hardening Skill can save you when you screw up
What I liked less: No real direction on where to start
My Pet House Decorating Game.s: Animal Home Design
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▶▶▶ Decorate your house for animals and play with your favorite “virtual pets”. ▶▶▶...
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated My Spy (2019) in Movies
Apr 4, 2020
Eleven months after first being slated for release we finally got My Spy in the cinema. With its predecessors like Playing With Fire, The Pacifier and The Game Plan leaving a very mixed tough guy/kid's movie playing field I wasn't expecting great things.
JJ has stepped over the line one too many times and now he's relegated to surveillance with Bobbi, the agency tech wizard. Their mission is to stay put and watch the wife and child of a man who was connected to the case.
When they get to their stakeout position the last thing they expect is to be made by the very person they're watching. Sophie may only be 9 but she's no fool and she's about to use her new found leverage to her benefit.
I absolutely loved this, it was looking a little rough at the start but I genuinely enjoyed myself once it hit its stride.
But it was a 12A? Honestly astounded to see that pop up at the beginning, I would have assumed it would be a PG, but that extra allowance gave the film a bit more colour.
This comedy felt perfect for Dave Bautista, I don't think I've seen him in a role that really felt suited to him, I like his humour but even the lovable Drax was always a bit off. Everest in Hotel Artemis was probably the best until I saw this. I love that he got a chance to do a mix of drama and comedy all in one film.
His pairing with Kristen Schaal as Bobbi was such fun. Their completely different approaches coupled with her to-the-point attitude make for a great team. Bobbi's adoration and desire to do more fieldwork is played off incredibly well.
I'm not usually a fan of child actors, it can seem forced and unnatural, but Chloe Coleman as Sophie is savage and I love it. Her standing up to JJ and her vulnerable side comes over so well, I genuinely enjoyed her acting and her comic timing, I can't wait to see her in more things.
The only actor I would query is Ken Jeong, he's funny and I find him generally amusing in most things he does but in this A) he wasn't entirely believable in the role and B) his humour was a step apart from the rest of the script, his parts in particular weren't in scenes designed for humour. It was the only part of the film that made me pause as I watched it, but it wasn't a massively negative impact on the whole.
We get some great settings and amazing action style sequences, the ones with both Bautista and Coleman had some real heart and humour. The whole storyline where he teaches her how to spy is amusing and well done.
I really did enjoy My Spy, that 12A totally helped it from being like those before it, the script could be aimed more at adults and the humour could cover both adult and children's amusement, it's a great stress-free film and I would absolutely watch it again.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/04/my-spy-movie-review.html
JJ has stepped over the line one too many times and now he's relegated to surveillance with Bobbi, the agency tech wizard. Their mission is to stay put and watch the wife and child of a man who was connected to the case.
When they get to their stakeout position the last thing they expect is to be made by the very person they're watching. Sophie may only be 9 but she's no fool and she's about to use her new found leverage to her benefit.
I absolutely loved this, it was looking a little rough at the start but I genuinely enjoyed myself once it hit its stride.
But it was a 12A? Honestly astounded to see that pop up at the beginning, I would have assumed it would be a PG, but that extra allowance gave the film a bit more colour.
This comedy felt perfect for Dave Bautista, I don't think I've seen him in a role that really felt suited to him, I like his humour but even the lovable Drax was always a bit off. Everest in Hotel Artemis was probably the best until I saw this. I love that he got a chance to do a mix of drama and comedy all in one film.
His pairing with Kristen Schaal as Bobbi was such fun. Their completely different approaches coupled with her to-the-point attitude make for a great team. Bobbi's adoration and desire to do more fieldwork is played off incredibly well.
I'm not usually a fan of child actors, it can seem forced and unnatural, but Chloe Coleman as Sophie is savage and I love it. Her standing up to JJ and her vulnerable side comes over so well, I genuinely enjoyed her acting and her comic timing, I can't wait to see her in more things.
The only actor I would query is Ken Jeong, he's funny and I find him generally amusing in most things he does but in this A) he wasn't entirely believable in the role and B) his humour was a step apart from the rest of the script, his parts in particular weren't in scenes designed for humour. It was the only part of the film that made me pause as I watched it, but it wasn't a massively negative impact on the whole.
We get some great settings and amazing action style sequences, the ones with both Bautista and Coleman had some real heart and humour. The whole storyline where he teaches her how to spy is amusing and well done.
I really did enjoy My Spy, that 12A totally helped it from being like those before it, the script could be aimed more at adults and the humour could cover both adult and children's amusement, it's a great stress-free film and I would absolutely watch it again.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/04/my-spy-movie-review.html
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated the PC version of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare in Video Games
Jun 19, 2019
The latest in the highly-popular Call of Duty series has arrived and with
it comes a bold new direction for the series that mixes the familiar with
the new.
Infinite Warfare is set in the future but unlike the recent Advanced
Warfare, this is a future where space travel has become the norm and the
people of Earth find themselves in an ongoing battle with a Mars based
faction who have amassed a very large and powerful fleet of warships.
Players take on the role of Lt. Reyes who finds himself forced into
command when a surprise attack devastates much of the Earths forces and
at the mercy of the ruthless leader of the opposing forces (Kit
Harrington).
Like with last years Black Ops 3 players have a staging area and the
ability to select their weapon configurations for each mission. There is
also a Captains room where players can view newsreels and other items
should they want to take a break from the combat and explore.
Players can also select which missions to take based on the recommended
story missions or they can select side missions. In my first run through I
stuck mainly to suggested missions and was amazed at how fast I got to the
final battle, so those looking to prolong their solo campaign will want to
select some of the additional missions.
Mission play is what you would expect from Call of Duty with missions
mixing stealth and waves of enemies for players to mow down. This time out
several missions involve space combat as players will take on fighters and
enemy ships in their fighter plane which also allows for some interesting
missions where players will leave their ship to battle in Zero-G before
resuming the attack on foot.
Players also will have access to energy and ballistic weapons and can pick
up weapons and ammunition along the way.
Using futuristic grenades that cause gravity to disrupt as well as spider
like seekers is a nice touch as is the protective shield players can
deploy when the action becomes heated.
Multiplayer has always been the strong point of the series and Infinite
Warfare is no exception to this trend. There are fewer modes than in the
past, but the customization and rankings that players expect are still in
place. There are also the popular kill streak rewards that can turn the
tide of any battle.
Although some may not like the inclusion of jump packs in multiplayer, it
did not harm Advanced Warfare and the levels where fallen players float
away in Zero-G were also a very nice touch. I did briefly think I was
playing DOOM with some of the maps set on a planet exterior at first, but
soon found myself caught up in the action. Like with Black Ops 3, a
special weapon is on a timer and allows players to deploy a wide angle
machine gun called a Claw which mows down enemies with ease.
The maps like the solo portion of the game are highly detailed and
stunning to behold and the composition for the game has some very
compelling music. I played the game on an NVIDIA 960 then moved to a
NVIDIA 1060 Founders Edition card and found that the game looked and ran
amazingly well even on the highest settings.
The real treat of the game for me was the Zombie mode set at Spaceland, an
80s themed amusement park. The mode had plenty of 80s nostalgia as well as
an 80s soundtrack of hits from the era as well as a campy tone that
invoked the best of 80s horror films.
The detail level was so good that you can even take a ride on an
attraction, use some rides as weapons, and use tickets you gain to gain
power ups. For me it was simply the best initial Zombie offering of any
Call of Duty game ever.
In the end, Infinite Warfare offers one of the best campaigns in recent
years and blends old and new to create a Call of Duty experience that is
fresh yet familiar. Fans of the series should not be put off by the space
setting and should give the game a try as it is a very enjoyable and
winning combination that is as fun to play as it is great to look at.
http://sknr.net/2016/11/08/call-duty-infinite-warfare/
it comes a bold new direction for the series that mixes the familiar with
the new.
Infinite Warfare is set in the future but unlike the recent Advanced
Warfare, this is a future where space travel has become the norm and the
people of Earth find themselves in an ongoing battle with a Mars based
faction who have amassed a very large and powerful fleet of warships.
Players take on the role of Lt. Reyes who finds himself forced into
command when a surprise attack devastates much of the Earths forces and
at the mercy of the ruthless leader of the opposing forces (Kit
Harrington).
Like with last years Black Ops 3 players have a staging area and the
ability to select their weapon configurations for each mission. There is
also a Captains room where players can view newsreels and other items
should they want to take a break from the combat and explore.
Players can also select which missions to take based on the recommended
story missions or they can select side missions. In my first run through I
stuck mainly to suggested missions and was amazed at how fast I got to the
final battle, so those looking to prolong their solo campaign will want to
select some of the additional missions.
Mission play is what you would expect from Call of Duty with missions
mixing stealth and waves of enemies for players to mow down. This time out
several missions involve space combat as players will take on fighters and
enemy ships in their fighter plane which also allows for some interesting
missions where players will leave their ship to battle in Zero-G before
resuming the attack on foot.
Players also will have access to energy and ballistic weapons and can pick
up weapons and ammunition along the way.
Using futuristic grenades that cause gravity to disrupt as well as spider
like seekers is a nice touch as is the protective shield players can
deploy when the action becomes heated.
Multiplayer has always been the strong point of the series and Infinite
Warfare is no exception to this trend. There are fewer modes than in the
past, but the customization and rankings that players expect are still in
place. There are also the popular kill streak rewards that can turn the
tide of any battle.
Although some may not like the inclusion of jump packs in multiplayer, it
did not harm Advanced Warfare and the levels where fallen players float
away in Zero-G were also a very nice touch. I did briefly think I was
playing DOOM with some of the maps set on a planet exterior at first, but
soon found myself caught up in the action. Like with Black Ops 3, a
special weapon is on a timer and allows players to deploy a wide angle
machine gun called a Claw which mows down enemies with ease.
The maps like the solo portion of the game are highly detailed and
stunning to behold and the composition for the game has some very
compelling music. I played the game on an NVIDIA 960 then moved to a
NVIDIA 1060 Founders Edition card and found that the game looked and ran
amazingly well even on the highest settings.
The real treat of the game for me was the Zombie mode set at Spaceland, an
80s themed amusement park. The mode had plenty of 80s nostalgia as well as
an 80s soundtrack of hits from the era as well as a campy tone that
invoked the best of 80s horror films.
The detail level was so good that you can even take a ride on an
attraction, use some rides as weapons, and use tickets you gain to gain
power ups. For me it was simply the best initial Zombie offering of any
Call of Duty game ever.
In the end, Infinite Warfare offers one of the best campaigns in recent
years and blends old and new to create a Call of Duty experience that is
fresh yet familiar. Fans of the series should not be put off by the space
setting and should give the game a try as it is a very enjoyable and
winning combination that is as fun to play as it is great to look at.
http://sknr.net/2016/11/08/call-duty-infinite-warfare/
Postknight
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Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Major League (1989) in Movies
Dec 29, 2019
Remove the Love Story and You've Got a Classic
When the new Cleveland Indians owner puts together a group of losers so the team will lose on purpose, the team bands together to try and exceed expectations.
Acting: 8
I’ve seen these actors in a number of different movies and I’m pretty sure all of them would agree that they’ve had better performances. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not horrid but no one is winning an Oscar here. My particular favorite was Bob Uecker playing the role of baseball analyst Harry Doyle. He makes every single game even more hilarious than what it already is with his random quips and jabs.
Beginning: 5
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 7
Conflict: 8
Entertainment Value: 9
Despite the god-awful love story they try and incite, the movie shines the most when the players are actually on the field. The games are beyond entertaining as they add the most pop to the comedy. The team is definitely one you can get behind so it’s fun to watch them rise up the ranks and defy the evil owner.
Memorability: 6
Pace: 4
Plot: 8
The concept is fun and unique. I just wish they would have done away with the ridiculous love story. It really puts a damper on what the movie is trying to accomplish which is show a group of losers finally get their chance to be on top. The movie suffers slightly from trying to do too much when less should be more.
Resolution: 7
Great ending…dampered by the love story. Seriously, get rid of that and the movie would be phenomenal, a solid classic. Besides that, I enjoyed everything there was to love about the movie’s resolution.
Overall: 72
Major League is good, although I wanted to love it a lot more. It shines in certain moments while falling short in others. It’s quality is enough to give it at least one solid go-around.
Acting: 8
I’ve seen these actors in a number of different movies and I’m pretty sure all of them would agree that they’ve had better performances. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not horrid but no one is winning an Oscar here. My particular favorite was Bob Uecker playing the role of baseball analyst Harry Doyle. He makes every single game even more hilarious than what it already is with his random quips and jabs.
Beginning: 5
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 7
Conflict: 8
Entertainment Value: 9
Despite the god-awful love story they try and incite, the movie shines the most when the players are actually on the field. The games are beyond entertaining as they add the most pop to the comedy. The team is definitely one you can get behind so it’s fun to watch them rise up the ranks and defy the evil owner.
Memorability: 6
Pace: 4
Plot: 8
The concept is fun and unique. I just wish they would have done away with the ridiculous love story. It really puts a damper on what the movie is trying to accomplish which is show a group of losers finally get their chance to be on top. The movie suffers slightly from trying to do too much when less should be more.
Resolution: 7
Great ending…dampered by the love story. Seriously, get rid of that and the movie would be phenomenal, a solid classic. Besides that, I enjoyed everything there was to love about the movie’s resolution.
Overall: 72
Major League is good, although I wanted to love it a lot more. It shines in certain moments while falling short in others. It’s quality is enough to give it at least one solid go-around.
Weed Firm: RePlanted
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postapocalypticplayground (27 KP) rated The Cruel Prince in Books
Mar 12, 2018
Underwhelming sadly
I’m feeling a little underwhelmed if I’m honest, I have never read a Holly Black book before and with the hype surrounding this I fully felt I would be blown away, I was left with a gentle simmer. I have to say I really didn’t enjoy the characters and I’m finding it hard to think of one that was particularly likeable. Jude and her sister Tarryn are now living as wards of the man who brutally murdered their parents when they were very young, yet they seem to embrace him and throughout it doesn’t appear to be any thirst for revenge against him that fuels her, instead it seems to be focused on the torment and bullying she receives from the “cruel” prince Carden and getting back at him and his posse. I say “cruel” because it’s actually quite ambiguous, there are plenty of princes who are truly cruel in this story, more so than Carden who is just a by product of his experiences. I certainly wouldn’t agree with the blurb that he is the “wickedest of the Kings sons.” All the male characters are written without much in the way of redeeming features and most of the girls are scheming. Sadly, I didn’t really care about Jude and I found the situations she found herself in slowly more and more ludicrous almost as if it was ultimately forgotten that she was human playing fae.
However, after the first 8 chapters the story moves from High School drama to something more fantasy based, Jude finds herself tasked with an unusual role which she hopes will find her favour within the court (Tarryn gets reduced to wanting to be a good little wife to a high lord – urgh) and ultimately secure her a role in which she will win respect. Jude must learn to become tough, to learn secrets and to ultimately become a pawn in a much larger game for power. Despite my reservations Holly Black worked some magic on me that led me to not want to put the book down, there were twists and turns, truths and lies, and a plot that left me reeling, if not a little confused sometimes. It’s a book that feels like it is trying to be many things, there is one scene that feels particularly Game of Thrones esq, but it does for the most part mange to keep it’s own identity.
I have struggled to write this review and I did hover between 2 and 3 stars for a long time, I have decided on 3 as for about 2/3 I did actually enjoy the underlying story, if not the characters themselves. I found it richly woven with plenty to keep me thinking ahead and an intriguing back story. There are a number of games in play and lots of clues of being dotted around, unfortunately Jude is too caught up to put the pieces together properly which isn’t surprising as even I was struggling to keep up with all the things going on! Despite myself, I will probably read book 2 as for some reason that I can’t entirely fathom I really want to know what happens next, perhaps it’s a glamour from the pages themselves…….
However, after the first 8 chapters the story moves from High School drama to something more fantasy based, Jude finds herself tasked with an unusual role which she hopes will find her favour within the court (Tarryn gets reduced to wanting to be a good little wife to a high lord – urgh) and ultimately secure her a role in which she will win respect. Jude must learn to become tough, to learn secrets and to ultimately become a pawn in a much larger game for power. Despite my reservations Holly Black worked some magic on me that led me to not want to put the book down, there were twists and turns, truths and lies, and a plot that left me reeling, if not a little confused sometimes. It’s a book that feels like it is trying to be many things, there is one scene that feels particularly Game of Thrones esq, but it does for the most part mange to keep it’s own identity.
I have struggled to write this review and I did hover between 2 and 3 stars for a long time, I have decided on 3 as for about 2/3 I did actually enjoy the underlying story, if not the characters themselves. I found it richly woven with plenty to keep me thinking ahead and an intriguing back story. There are a number of games in play and lots of clues of being dotted around, unfortunately Jude is too caught up to put the pieces together properly which isn’t surprising as even I was struggling to keep up with all the things going on! Despite myself, I will probably read book 2 as for some reason that I can’t entirely fathom I really want to know what happens next, perhaps it’s a glamour from the pages themselves…….
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Super (2011) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
When I first heard about Super, written and directed by James Gunn, my first thought was “Dwight (from The Office) will be a superhero?” However what I saw on the screen was anything but Dwight, it was 75% awesome and 25% “I can’t believe they did that!”
The film begins with Frank (excellently played by Rainn Wilson) happily married to Sarah (Liv Tyler) who is a recovering drug addict. The happiness is shattered when Sarah begins using again, thanks to Jacques the drug dealer (Kevin Bacon) and then one day she disappears. Frank searches for Sarah and eventually finds her under the control of Jacques. Unable to get her away from Jacques, Frank goes to the police for help. Unfortunately because Sarah left on her own accord, no law has been broken (except for the drug stuff) so they are unable to help him.
Frank tries to move on, but without Sarah life seems meaningless. Then in his darkest hour he has a vision of The Holy Avenger (Nathan Fillion). Heeding the vision, Frank becomes The Crimson Bolt, pledges to fight crime and to save Sarah. There is just one small problem – Frank has no idea how to be a superhero. Research is needed, so off to the comic book store he goes, of course, and there he meets Libby (Ellen Page). Libby advises him which comics to read that have superheroes who do not have powers. Armed with this knowledge, The Crimson Bolt officially begins fighting crime in the most unusual of ways and not too long after, Libby becomes Boltie, his trusted, sexy sidekick.
This very entertaining, action-filled, dark comedy has more twists and turns than a game of Chutes and Ladders, and it will keep you glued to the screen until the end. Will they save the city from villainy? Will they save Sarah’s bacon? (Sorry, with Kevin Bacon playing the bad guy I couldn’t resist.)
Super has a different take on the superhero genre than what I’ve seen in past movies. Only Rainn Wilson could have properly portrayed the uniqueness that is Frank/Crimson Bolt and the same goes for Ellen Page in regards to Libby/Boltie (possibly the best sidekick ever). To make a long review short, let me sum up this way, everyone in the movie no matter the length of their part did an amazing job in their role. With that said, my only wish was that the story would have allowed for more screen time for Gregg Henry (Detective John Felkner) and a musical number for Fillion’s Holy Avenger. if you liked Fillion as Captain Hammer in Dr. Horrible’s Singalong Blog, then you’ll love him in this role. But those things would have most likely thrown off the perfect balance of action, humor and character interaction that made this movie so enjoyable.
The film begins with Frank (excellently played by Rainn Wilson) happily married to Sarah (Liv Tyler) who is a recovering drug addict. The happiness is shattered when Sarah begins using again, thanks to Jacques the drug dealer (Kevin Bacon) and then one day she disappears. Frank searches for Sarah and eventually finds her under the control of Jacques. Unable to get her away from Jacques, Frank goes to the police for help. Unfortunately because Sarah left on her own accord, no law has been broken (except for the drug stuff) so they are unable to help him.
Frank tries to move on, but without Sarah life seems meaningless. Then in his darkest hour he has a vision of The Holy Avenger (Nathan Fillion). Heeding the vision, Frank becomes The Crimson Bolt, pledges to fight crime and to save Sarah. There is just one small problem – Frank has no idea how to be a superhero. Research is needed, so off to the comic book store he goes, of course, and there he meets Libby (Ellen Page). Libby advises him which comics to read that have superheroes who do not have powers. Armed with this knowledge, The Crimson Bolt officially begins fighting crime in the most unusual of ways and not too long after, Libby becomes Boltie, his trusted, sexy sidekick.
This very entertaining, action-filled, dark comedy has more twists and turns than a game of Chutes and Ladders, and it will keep you glued to the screen until the end. Will they save the city from villainy? Will they save Sarah’s bacon? (Sorry, with Kevin Bacon playing the bad guy I couldn’t resist.)
Super has a different take on the superhero genre than what I’ve seen in past movies. Only Rainn Wilson could have properly portrayed the uniqueness that is Frank/Crimson Bolt and the same goes for Ellen Page in regards to Libby/Boltie (possibly the best sidekick ever). To make a long review short, let me sum up this way, everyone in the movie no matter the length of their part did an amazing job in their role. With that said, my only wish was that the story would have allowed for more screen time for Gregg Henry (Detective John Felkner) and a musical number for Fillion’s Holy Avenger. if you liked Fillion as Captain Hammer in Dr. Horrible’s Singalong Blog, then you’ll love him in this role. But those things would have most likely thrown off the perfect balance of action, humor and character interaction that made this movie so enjoyable.