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Love and Monsters (2021)
Love and Monsters (2021)
2021 | Action, Adventure, Comedy
7
7.8 (20 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Good creature design (1 more)
Uplifting vibe
Predictable (0 more)
Monsterland
So spotted this on Netflix and wasn't too sure about it. Glad I gave it a go though. Set in the near future where bugs and reptiles have become huge Monsters and the few people alive have been living in bunkers for years. A guy decides to take a dangerous journey to meet his love in a different colony.
This is a lighthearted Monster film, with more comedy and action than Horror. Kinda of a similar theme to Zombieland. Quite heartfelt as he goes on his journey and learns have to survive this new world. The creatures look great and SFX are very well done. Very entertaining if also predictable, but you'll enjoy the adventure.
  
Bloodborne: The Card Game
Bloodborne: The Card Game
2016 | Card Game, Fantasy, Horror, Video Game Theme
Teamwork (3 more)
Deck building (to an extent)
Pressing your luck
Planning required
Even in card form...f*ck these monsters! (0 more)
Easy to learn and really fun to play!
So I can't say that I've played this game completely right because I actually had to make some house rules so that it would work for 2 players. However, me and my friend played to the best of our ability to stick to the main rules of the game such as dying and losing blood echoes and the monsters escape if you don't kill it.

From what I learned during my playthrough, this game is super fun and I can't wait to get my other friends to play it so we can play a proper 3-5 player game with the Hunters Nightmare Expansion including penalties to trophies etc.

This game requires tactics, teamwork and also careful planning to try and make sure your fellow hunters don't win. You can do this by using certain abilities of certain weapons that allow you to deal damage to the hunter yourself, allow the monster to deal damage or double damage to the player, or ensuring that you take little to no damage from the monster and allowing the other hunters to take the hit and/or fall. The game is very sneaky and you have to make sure that with the 7 card limit you have, that in the hunters dream you choose the right upgrades and new weapons and discard any others you won't need, but make sure that the cards you choose help kill the monster as well as hinder your fellow hunters.

However, you can choose to simply play the game and be fair to see who comes out on top by playing the right cards to hurt the monster more and not harm each other...but where's the fun in that?

If you've played the video game, then you'll love the card game as it has all your favourite elements such as blood echoes, weapons, health vials, molotovs, and of course the monsters! Including mini bosses and a single Final Boss card who's effects are apparent throughout the entire game. For example, the Vicar Amelia boss card, cuts players health's down from the maximum of 8, to the new maximum of 6 during the entire game no matter what other cards are played. If you have a card that says return to Max health, your new Max health is 6 which makes the game harder but also makes you think more strategically, and you have to ask yourself that one question each turn "Am I willing to take the risk?"

The payoff as in the video game, is sweet and the fall also as in the game, is bitter, especially if you took that chance whilst holding unbanked blood echoes.

My only issue with the game is that I believe there could have easily been some form of the game that allowed for just two players, but instead Myself and others like me on the internet have to come up with hosuerules, and be careful not to take away the fun of the game, as well as being careful not to drift to far from the original rules so that it doesn't become too easy. Because again, where's the fun in that?

I highly recommend this game and it's expansion to those who have the friends willing to play and not lose their sh*t when things don't go their way :')
  
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
2016 | Sci-Fi, Thriller
Contains spoilers, click to show
10 Cloverfield Lane is the second film in the Cloverfield series but isn't a sequel. 10 Cloverfield lane doesn't follow on from the first film but is set at the same time however, there is almost nothing that links the two films (at least to begin with) and even some of the links aren't obvious. for example, right at the beginning of the film, Michelle is grabbing her belongings when the house is shaken. There is nothing made of this however, according to official sources this is caused by Clover's first attack in the first film.
In my review of Cloverfield I stated that it wasn't necessarily the film for Kaiju fans, especially if you want monster vs monster action and this is even more true for 10 Cloverfield Lane. This is not a monster film it's more a phycological thriller.
After leaving her home Michelle is in a car crash and wakes up in a bunker belonging to survivalist Howard. The only other person in the bunker is Howards neighbour, Emmett.
10 Cloverfield Lane is a slow burn, Howard tells Michelle that there has been an attack and that she can't leave because the air is probably contaminated, Michelle is not sure if this is true. And this is where the film is clever, if you know about the connection to the first Cloverfield film then you know that there could be something out there but that it may not be contamination, if you don't know about the connection then the attack could be possible. It's John Goodman's acting as Howard that really pulls the film along, sometimes he seems believable whilst other times he seems crazy never quite revealing just how much he actually knows, right down to his last line where he tells Michelle that she can't out run what is out there, hinting that he knows what is really going on.
It's the end of the film that (kind of) links 10 Cloverfield Lane to Cloverfield but still possibly not the part you'd think. When Michelle finally gets out of the bunker she is attacked by monsters but nothing we've seen before, there is a four legged dog type thing that is not one of the parasites from the first film and what at first looks like a space ship (an idea that is further enhanced by something Howard had said earlier) but we later see that it is a creature with a mechanical looking shell, this creature also has two tentacles similar to those on Clover. The biggest link to the first film is actually after these creatures, there are radio announcements that 'we have taken back the coast' referring to the fact that we the army have defeated Clover, showing us how much time has past.
As I said, 10 Cloverfield Lane is a good thriller, if you take it for what it is (not a monster film) then it is tense and enjoyable but, if you don't know about the link then the monsters at the end would be just odd as, if it was a stand alone film, it would work better as an invasion, even if it was an alien invasion where as these monsters do just seem to be there.
As an attempt to create a larger world and to show how the events in the first film affect other places it's a good start but there needs to more. Of course there is a third film but more about that next time.
  
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Visuals (1 more)
Action
Plot holes galore! (0 more)
A true monster of a movie!
This sequel to the 2014 reboot of Godzilla is an enjoyable movie. It doesn't follow the common trend of "less is more", not wasting any time showing you the visually stunning monsters in all their glory.

The plot is simple enough: Godzilla has been absent since the last movie five years ago. More monsters (called Titans here) have been discovered around the world and the mysterious Monarch group are studying them. Needless to say, it doesn't take long for things to take a turn for the worst, and when a big, bad monster is revived and starts destroying things, our old pal Godzilla returns.

This is one of those movies where you leave your brain and the real world at the door, and just enjoy it for what it is. There's a lot of criticism aimed at modern movies for overusing CGI, but this film needs it and uses it very well. The monsters look incredible, and genuinely look massive. The battles and subsequent destruction look amazing, too. It's a real treat for the eyes, packed with many WOW! moments.

Is it perfect? No. As graphically stunning as it is, the plot leaves a lot to be desired. Riddled with tiny (and the odd large) plot holes, it's a pretty basic storyline. But then, it doesn't need to be overly complex in a movie like this one.

No one comes to a Godzilla movie expecting Oscar-worthy performances and Aaron Sorkin-esque screenplays. They come to be entertained. And you will be here. Well worth stepping away from life for a couple of hours. Don't forget your popcorn!
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Victor Frankenstein (2015) in Movies

Feb 25, 2018 (Updated Feb 25, 2018)  
Victor Frankenstein (2015)
Victor Frankenstein (2015)
2015 | Drama
I, Igor
If you're one of those people who thinks that the story of Frankenstein pays far too much attention to him actually making the monster, and not enough to the details and ups-and-downs of his relationship with Igor the hunchback, then this is the film for you (although if that's your attitude, you really don't deserve Frankenstein movies at all). Deformed circus clown becomes brilliant self-taught surgeon and anatomist, is rescued by unconventional medical student, gets put to work stitching.

James McAvoy could have been a great Frankenstein, but not with a script like this one - narration keeps banging on about how familiar we all are with this story, before going off into new and wildly eccentric territory - Igor has a romance with a trapeze artist, there are problems with steampunk zombie chimps, etc. Actual creation of famous monster only happens in last ten minutes. Film has zero feeling for historical setting (a version of Victorian London where nobody bats an eyelid if your name is Igor or Frankenstein).

All the major themes of Shelley's story are basically sidelined in favour of overwrought emotional drama. Best thing in it is possibly Andrew Scott as a detective looking to bust Dr F for interfering with zoo animals; his scenes with McAvoy are actually pretty interesting. The kind of film that seems to be afraid the audience will get bored and wander away if there isn't an outbreak of slow-mo or CGI or whatever every five minutes. How does Max Landis manage to keep selling scripts like this one? Moderately good-looking but a massive waste of potential.
  
Horrified: Universal Monsters Strategy Board Game
Horrified: Universal Monsters Strategy Board Game
2019 | Horror, Murder & Mystery
Horrified is a co-op board game based on the beloved Universal Monsters properties, and it's pretty damn fun.

First off, I love this series of movies. I recently bought a Blu-Ray boxset of them that I've been slowly working through, and they are still as entertaining now as they were when I was a kid.
Horrified pits 2-5 players against a selection of these horror icons, requiring them to complete character specific tasks before ultimately attempting to defeat whichever beast chosen, saving villagers along the way.
The roster is made up of Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster and his Bride, The Wolfman, The Invisible Man, The Mummy, and The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Each monster brings different objectives to the table in order to slay them, adding a large amount of variety to multiple games.
You can also play around with the amount of monsters you take on at once, adding different levels of difficulty to proceedings.

At first glance, the rules and many game pieces can seen overwhelming, but once the understanding sets in (there's an extremely handy tutorial video on the games official YouTube channel), it's a fun and sometimes tense experience, that is easy enough for any player to grasp.
It really does rely heavily on co-op and strategy to secure a victory, if you don't work together, then death is all but guaranteed!

I would happily recommend Horrified to any board game fan, especially those who like a bit of horror thrown in for good measure.
A huge thank you to @Smashbomb for sending me this via a giveaway (seriously go and apply to them!). Nice one!