I’d been putting off purchasing the expansions because I just couldn’t really afford it.  Last week, Operation: Anchorage was on sale, so I nabbed it.  I also bought the other two currently available, but I haven’t done anything with them yet, so I’ll save those for another post.  First, let me say that I’m glad I got it on sale.  It only adds a few hours of game play, it’s very linear, and it wasn’t very exciting.  But, the rewards for your character for completing it are SWEET! 

If you’re really gung-ho for completing this expansion, you can do it in about three hours.  Sure, you can play it with different characters, but beyond the rewards, there isn’t any reason to.  There are really no choices (beyond whether to do the mission or not), and there isn’t anything unique going on.  Instead of an RPG with an FPS feel (like the rest of Fallout 3), O:A is an FPS with an RPG’s game engine.  Which, let’s face it, Fallout 3 is a fantastic RPG and a horrible shooter.  As for those RPG elements, choice is what really defines an RPG, but the only decision you get to have is to choose a custom squad to “command”.  But, this is a lie.  All you get to command them to do is “go to the next objective” or “wait here”.  Not to mention that the characters you meet are flat and boring (which is uncharacteristic of the Fallout franchise).  The action is underwhelming and not very challenging, leaving you wanting more, and that’s never good for a game.

So, what’s the point?  Well, the armor and weapons you get upon finishing the quests.  The power armor, by itself might be worth it, since you gain proficiency with it immediately upon donning it.  That means you can get access to power armor well before you’re supposed in the base game.  And the rifle is nearly the most powerful and accurate gun yet.  Oh, and as long as you haven’t maxed out your level already, you’ll still earn XP, so that’s good.

If you can get this at a discount (like I did), then I recommend it for someone that already really loves the game and wants to get more out of it.  If the game wasn’t your favorite, you can probably skip it.

Grade: C+ (79%)

Oh yeah, as for the whole “DLC” thing . . . stop calling it that.  “Downloadable Content” used to mean “free”.  It meant that if you already owned a game, you could get access to bonus material for it by downloading free stuff.  Kind of like a patch or user-made content.  You didn’t have to pay for it.  If you had to pay for it, it was called an “Expansion Pack”.  Y’know what, that’s what these are: Expansions.  So stop it with the misnomers and get back with the program!

After the first film’s release in 1984, Ghostbuster fever swept the United States and the world. Their logo has become one of the most recognized symbols on the planet, and their theme song is probably one of the catchiest tunes to come out of the 1980s. They spawned a blockbuster sequel in 1989 and an animated series that ran for six years, plus toys, comics, collectibles, and video games. But, it was that last item, video games, where the franchise was at its weakest. The first game was an atrocious attempt at digital entertainment, and the game based on the sequel wasn’t fantastic either (although, better than the first). Now, with all of the ’80s nostalgia that’s been occurring for the last few years, it was only a matter of time before the Ghostbusters received some sort of revival. And it is through the medium of video games that everyone’s favorite paranormal investigators/eliminators see their triumphant return.

Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis return to write the game’s story and script, while the two of them plus Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, William Atherton and Annie Potts return to provide their voice talents.  Visually, the designers managed to make the effects look like the special effects of the early 1990s, and the production design makes for a nearly picture perfect capturing of the sets and props from the films.  Also, the music from the films is expertly utilized to provide the right atmosphere.  Aykroyd’s and Ramis’s script provides the same wit, terminology, and charm characteristic to the films, too.  And let’s not forget the digital recreations of each of the characters, which are (for the most part) excellent.  Basically, what I’m saying here is that if you loved the movies, you’re going to enjoy the feel of this game.  It is Ghostbusters, through and through.

You play as a new recruit to the Ghostbusters called “Rookie” (he doesn’t get a name, ’cause Peter doesn’t want to get attached), who then assists the guys in their job to investigate and eliminate paranormal infestations.  It takes place in 1991, two years after the events of Ghostbusters 2, and the guys are still busting ghosts all over town.  You’re pretty much dropped into the thick of things as Gozer-related havoc tears New York apart.  The plot is clean and straightforward: ghosts are causing trouble, and you’re there to stop them.  Everything unfolds simply and cleanly, and the player doesn’t have to do much thinking, in that regard.

As for the game on a structural level, is it good?  In a simple word, yes.  It’s a third-person shooter ala Dead Space and Gears of War.  The camera sits above and to the right of your characters head, you line up crosshairs with your enemies and you shoot them.  But it is also unique in the way you defeat enemies.  Not every enemy is the same, and the weapons used to dispatch them are just as varied.  There are four different weapons, each with two seperate fire modes.  However, the most fun one to use, and the one most fans have been itching to play with, is the Proton Pack.  When you have trappable ghosts (instead of the corporeal critters you just have to destroy), you get to zap ‘em and trap ‘em.  After wearing them down with constant hits from the proton stream, the beam will latch on to the ghost and you or one of the others can toss out a trap and you can wrangle those pesky poltergeists down.  The controls for this felt intuitive to me, as it feels like using a fishing rod to drag your quarry to their doom.  This gets to be the most innovative and fun aspect of the gameplay.  Oh, yeah, don’t cross the streams, it hurts.

As I mentioned above, your fellow Ghostbusters accompany you throughout the game, providing guidance and assistance.  The game changes up which of the guys are with you, and in varying numbers.  You’re alone a couple of times, but for the most part, you’re with at least one of them.  This helps keep the in-game dialogue fresh and makes it so you don’t get tired of seeing the same dude over and over.  They also come in handy as they will fight and catch ghosts even if you’re not trying to help.  If you get knocked out, they can come revive you, and vice versa.  However, that can get tedious in certain levels, as you’re having to play medic running back and forth reviving, dodging attacks and not getting to fight back.  If everyone gets knocked out, it’s game over, so stay on your toes and keep helping them up.  Also, the AI is good, but not great.  They’re smart enough to not shoot you in the back or cross streams with you most of the time, and they’ll rush to your aid if you fall down.  But sometimes they’ll run right in front of you while you’re firing, and they’ll also run straight into certain doom to revive you.  So, they’re good to have around, but don’t rely on them too much.

After completing the game, which can be done in about 8 hours, there is little reason to replay the campaign.  There are three difficulty levels, and some collection objectives by using the PKE meter to scan ghosts and find cursed objects, but that’s about it.  Unless you’re really itching to replay a level, there isn’t much replay value there.  But, via multiplayer, there’s a lot of fun to be had.  This is where you can co-op a mini-campaign (but not the story mode) with friends, compete to see who can trap the most ghosts, or fight together for survival against waves of ghosts.  There’s no deathmatch because it is not that kind of game, so forget it.  But you can still have a lot of fun this way.

For fans of the franchise, this game will have you hooked and will be a definite treat to your inner child.  There are plenty of references and Easter Eggs for the die-hards, too (like a PKE meter from the cartoon, sitting on a work bench).  If you’re not a fan, or you’re just not familiar with the source material, you should still find it fun, but you might not appreciate it as much. I still wish that there was a good sandbox-style ghost hunt where you could drive Ecto-1 from place to place, but maybe that’ll show up later in some other game.

Grade:  B+ (87%)

Like any good browncoat (aka Firefly fan, for the lesser geeks), i’m gonna have to compare the new show to Firefly.  I know, it isn’t quite fair for either of them because space cowboys are hard to compare to pulp crime novelists, but i’m gonna do it anyhow.  Is Castle as good as Firefly?  I’ll give it a qualified heck yeah!  The full cast of characters isn’t as well rounded and interesting as the Firefly crew was, but it the plot lines are much more cohesive and consistent.  I know for a huge chunk of the browncoats out there characters and interesting twist on scifi are all they need, so i need to say this too.  Part of what is going to color peoples’ opinions on this is if they are fans of mystery, pulp fiction or cop dramas.  I know i have a soft spot for all of em, so when i saw an odd hybrid of Malcolm Reynolds and a bit of Jayne Cobb masterfully mixed together as a witty womanizing writer i was quick to accept the show.

I guess i should use this as my opportunity to explain what the show is all about.  Nick Castle (Fillion) is a successful writer that has just ended a long running series of detective novels and is stuck trying to find a new direction for his writing.  When a series of murders are committed that copy scenes from Castle’s books the detective in charge questions Castle because she recognizes the scenes and suspects an obsessed Castle fan.  Castle quickly proves his worth to the case not just because of his familiarity with the subject, but also with his high profile connections and unique author’s perspective on how crimes are committed.

Now that the plot points are taken care of i guess i just need to say that the show is real fun to watch.  Seeing the chemistry and quality acting that results from that chemistry is just awesome.  I was a bit nervous when i saw that the casting had filled the role of the tough NYPD detective (Stana Katic) with someone that looks like she walked off a fashion show catwalk.  The only thing i recognized her from was a practically non-speaking role from the latest Bond movie (Canadian Secret Service girl).  It didn’t take long for her to prove she was more than just another pretty face though.  She pulls off the stoic and complicated detective character perfectly, creating a great contrast to the Castle character’s playful spirit and disregard for rules.

What it comes down to is that the series is well crafted and fun.  Give it a chance and just try not to get hooked.  I know i’ll be back for more when season two rolls around.

I give it an 92% positive review.  The browncoat in me just wants a couple more fun, unique, perminant, characters to fill out the show.

In a simple word, this movie is fun.  The visuals are stunning, the action is gripping, and the characters are vibrant.  Chris Pine plays a young, energetic James T. Kirk that exudes the care-free machismo one would expect from the intrepid Captain-to-be.  Zachary Quinto’s Spock is fascinating, evidencing his devotion to the off-set direction given to him by Leonard Nimoy.  And, Simon Pegg as Montgomerry Scott is a real treat, stealing each scene in which he appears.  John Cho, as Hikaru Sulu, and Karl Urban, as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy, equally provide quality performances, as does the rest of the cast.

Of course, as much enjoyment as there is to be had, there are a couple issues I should mention.  The plot, while interesting, isn’t heavily explained.  There is one moment of explanation in the middle of the film that felt forced.  Abrams has a reputation for obtuse, unrevealed plots, and I assume that the film’s exposition exists simply because someone told him that it was necessary.  Eric Bana’s villainous, psychotic character of Nero, while decently played, felt two dimensional.  Again, his reasons for being a bad guy were forcibly explained.  There is also a bit of that “shaky-cam” bull that I can’t stand.  Not too much, thankfully, but enough to make me grumble a bit.  Seriously, Hollywood, stop it!

For you Trekkies out there, especially the ones that are apprehensive, go and see the movie.  Understand that this is an alternate reality from what you already know.  Don’t worry, the timeline you know and love remains seperate and intact, this is merely a new one.  The characters, while slightly different, remain mostly true to the originals.  Oh, and if you’re one of those that heard that Spock gets mad and said, “But, Spock doesn’t get mad!” I want you to know he has a very good reason to be mad, even for a Vulcan.

All in all, an exciting film that wonderfully reboots the Star Trek franchise.

Grade: A- (91%)

P.S.  If you want a greater understanding of the plot, I highly recommend the comic book Star Trek: Countdown published by IDW.  I read it before I saw the movie, and I’m very glad I did.  It’ll probably answer many questions you might have.  If you want the abridged version of the comic’s plot, go read Path to 2409: 2387 over at Star Trek Online.

What i mean to say it that the Wolverine movie will cause you to loose brain cells. I know this sounds harsh, but you would be much better off learning to do any number of things that cause items to collide with your head, than to waste your life watching this movie. Wolverine fans around the world are most likely calling for my head to be removed with the signature trifecta of blades, but i don’t care. I am writing this out of concern for all of you. If i can just help a handful of you to not watch this movie, then i will have improved the world a great deal. …I believe. Well lets get to the reasons.

1- Special Effects.

I have read plenty of comics and watched plenty of cartoons with Wolverine in them. And i know that one of the big draws to them is seeing what sorts of badassity he will come up with when using his claws. Seeing all of the over the top crazy stuff he can do is no big deal when you are staring at a piece of artwork. When a character like Wolverine steps into the real world its a whole new set of rules. You have to make it believable. Movies like Iron Man, and X-2 were really good at finding the right balance between over the top cool, and subdued reality. This movie doesn’t bother with that line. It tries to replicate all sorts of stuff from the source material, without any concern for how stupid it looks in reality. You can spend all the money in the world CGing something, but it won’t cover up stupid. Problem is this movie didn’t even spend all the money in the world on special effects. They almost all looked lame and rushed.

2- The Dialogue

I don’t know enough about writing or acting to know exactly where the fault for this should go. I just know that almost every line came of as insincere or lame. Even the classic arms spread, sky shot of Wolverine going AAAAAARRRRRGGGGG!!!! was lame. And for a Wolverine fan, that is a true crime. I don’t know how many times i saw characters staring emotionlessly into space while thoughtlessly regurgitating lines. After a while i couldn’t help but giggle to myself every time someone said something. It was that ludicrous. There was nothing clever or sincere in the entire movie.

3- The harm done to the characters

This is the last one i am gonna rant about, and for the true comic fan this should be the biggie bub. I couldn’t resist putting bub in… Anyway, i’ll start with good ol Wolvie. So much signature stuff was screwed up but i have to start with retorts. Wolverine goes through the movie and only pulls off one decent badass retort. How could the film maker’s let this happen? That should be enough to convince any fan that the movie is crappy, but i’ll continue. Stryker was lame. What sorta made X2 for me was a real good badguy, and Brian Cox hit it outa the ballpark with his Stryker. I know they needed a younger actor, but this Stryker was so lameified that it taints the entire character. Sabertooth… Honestly i had very little problem with Sabertooth, but every time he ran animal style he looked like he was floating over the ground. It sorta imasculated an otherwise badass character. And to finish it off i’ll just say Deadpool was lame. I am real tempted to ruin some big things about the movie, but i will respect it that much. All i can say is that if you were really looking forward to seing how well Ryan Rynolds would do as the crazy killer, you will be disappointed. Very very disappointed.

So that wraps up my review. I know it has been a long wild ride, but i truly felt everything needed to be said to fully explain my position on this movie. Figure out how to loose brain cells some other way. Just avoid this movie. I don’t care if you are the biggest Wolverine fan in the world. This film will only hurt you.

I give this movie a 32% positive review.

They’ve got quite the gamut of comedy videos, which includes various sketch comedy, such as “ArMEGAddon” and “How To Talk Like A Pirate“.  They report ridiculous real-world news stories via “The Phailhaus“.  And, they teach us how to cook like a man with “Man Cooking“.  Plus, they eat absolutely horrible things for the “Iron Stomach Challenge“.  So, didn’t like watching them eat something gross?  You think that’s bad? You think that’s bad?  Well, I’ve seen Skeletor’s Dick!.

Seriously, check these guys (and gals) out!  I think they’re hilarious.  To be critical, sometimes their sketch comedy is a little off (dare I say “not all that funny”), but for the most part, they always make me laugh.  They update every week (mostly), which makes them more reliable than us.  But, what kind of professional procrastinators would we be if we didn’t put off posting stuff?

Grade: A for Awesomeness!

Catch ya’ later!

A Review by Cade Antilles

I shouldn’t have to sit here and explain to y’all about how much I love Star Wars. If you’ve been a reader of this site, you’ll know that this is mostly what I’m about. So, how can a review by someone as biased as me be worth reading? Right? Well, I’m sure another one of my fellow Procrastinators will have something to say, but I’m honor-bound to say something. So, firstly, I thought it was very cool, but it does have its flaws.

This film is pure visual candy. From beginning to end, the film is almost nothing but action. Interspersed throughout and between the action is the plot. The plot is fairly straight-forward. Jabba the Hutt’s son has been kidnapped so he asks both the Jedi and Count Dooku to return the child. The side that complete’s the task will gain his support in the war. The Jedi are the honorable good guys, the Sith are the scheming bad guys, blah blah blah, you get the picture.

The action is fast paced, grandiose, and flashy. I like that. As far as Star Wars is concerned, the action’s not over the top, and well within the believability for the setting. The ’saber duels are slick and extremely well animated, and felt like the duels seen in the Prequel Trilogy.

The characters weren’t anything new, so not much to say here. The only real additions were the Togruta Jedi girl Ahsoka Tano and the foppish Ziro the Hutt. Ahsoka is a pretty cool character, with some decent dialog and awesome action sequences. Ziro was entertaining for me, since its the first time a different Hutt has graced the screen. They’ve always either been Jabba or a Hutt just like him. If anyone needs to ask, “Is Ziro gay or something?”, I’ll quickly explain. Hutts reproduce asexually (ie, Jabba’s son has no other parent), and they usually choose a “gender” based on their personality. So, while Ziro comes off as foppish, it just means that he probably just prefers make-up and jewelry and identifies with a more feminine personality. But, that’s enough about Hutt physiology and psychology.

The voice acting is decent, and combined with the animation, makes some of the performances better than the live-action of the films. But, that probably won’t say much, since the actors in the films didn’t have much to work with (and it showed). Also, the voice actors that they cast did such a good job impersonating the actors it was hardly noticeable that Christensen, McGregor, and Portman weren’t even in it. It was nice that Anthony Daniels, Samuel L. Jackson, and Christopher Lee were able to reprise their roles, though.

Where the film lacks is in the story. Don’t expect too much here. Everything is straight-forward, nothing complicated. No big revelations, nothing fancy. But, its Star Wars. Also, the flow of the film, being mostly action, doesn’t have much down time. And when it is slow, it is SLOW. The fact that there is so much action, it just makes the moments that aren’t action packed seem even slower than they probably already are.

I definitely recommend seeing this, in the theatre, but matinee if you can help it (prices being what they are).

Grade: B (86%)

PS Also . . . Lightspeed Starlines. Finally, in the Prequel Era, we get to see Starlines again. Go back and watch the prequels, they’re not there. Go, now! Go watch all three. I’m not kidding, stop reading and go watch them . . . you’re still reading, aren’t you? *sigh* Fine, take my word for it, there’re no Starlines. But, now there are! Yay!

That is all

A Review by Cade Antilles

Multiple steel doors, a phone booth, a shoe phone, the cone of silence, missing it by that much and (don’t forget) the element of . . . SURPRISE! Icons of a nearly forgotten franchise. I loved the original series from the ’60s (which I watched in syndication), and follow-up film (Get Smart, Again!) in 1989, which starred the late Don Adams, and was created from the comical genius that is Mel Brooks. I LOATHED the 1995 TV series revival. Fortunately, that piece of defecated nonsense only lasted 7 episodes.

Now, with Steve Carell picking up the reigns, could this slapstick, James Bond spoof live up to its namesake? The answer is . . . yes!

Not only does the film live up to its name, it surpasses it. All of the original jokes are there, and a number of new ones as well. Steve Carell is a perfect Maxwell Smart, combining his strong comedic timing with fluid physical gags. Anne Hathaway is a hot and commanding Agent 99, and Alan Arkin is an awesome Chief. Quite a list of co-stars and cameos, too: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Terence Stamp, James Caan, Bill Murray, Masi Oka, Patrick Warburton, and Ryan Seacrest (to name the most recognizable). There’s also an appearance of the original Siegfried from the ’60s series, Bernie Kopell.

What makes the comedy of this incarnation so strong is its simplicity. Instead of mostly relying on elaborate slapstick gags, most of the jokes are quick and well-delivered. Of course, it wouldn’t be Get Smart without slapstick, and this movie delivers a few of those as well. Not only that, but crude humor hardly plays a role, which was surprisingly refreshing. It also takes a number of the series’ original, iconic jokes and brings them back fresh. I only wish that the simple hand gesture that indicated by how much Max had missed had accompanied those jokes. Would’ve made those lines a tad funnier. There are plenty of homages to the original series, as well.

Get Smart is also a decent action movie. Plenty of gunplay, explosions, and hand-to-hand combat to keep any action fan interested. It does a great job of combining the action with its Bond-parody nature. This even includes a fight with a Richard Kiel look-alike (Dalip Singh, aka The Great Khali from the WWE). Singh and Kiel are even the same height (7′2″)! For those of you who don’t know who Richard Kiel is, does the name “Jaws” ring any bells? If not, oh well.

The only real downsides are its general silliness and predictability. But, if you like silly, then that’s not much of a problem, is it?

If you’re a fan of Get Smart, silly comedy, and solid action, you’ll probably love this movie. If you’re not a fan of Get Smart, I highly recommend it anyway, since its still a solid action/comedy. If you don’t like slapstick at all, you may find less interest. For me, this film was exactly what I’ve been craving. Nobody seems to make movies like this anymore, and they really should.

Grade: A- (91%)

There’s a good chance that I’m the only one in this group that enjoyed Speed Racer. It was not cinematic gold but it kept me mostly entertained for the two hours and fifteen minutes of its running time. I guess in some fairness I have more history with the series than anyone else in the crew. I was introduced to the show while in middle school and it was rather like a joining of two awesome things, James Bond-esque cars and animation. I had a bonding with the silly plots and the weird cars that crisscrossed in a weird wonderland of joy. I doubt I’ve seen the entire series, just bits and pieces but they all had this feel to them that was really unique.

Fast forward to a little before this summer. News of the Speed Racer the movie is bubbling up, and a few preproduction stills are passed to the press, especially the early shot of the Mach 5, and my little kid self pops up and says “New Speed Racer?” and then did an excited little dance. Then I find out the Wachowski Bros. are doing it, my hopes dipped a little; still disappointed with the way the second two Matrix films went. But I still held out hope. Then the first trailers were dropped on us.

My hopes were not dashed by the trailers … but my expectations were changed. This was the first glimpse of race footage … and well it was odd. The tracks were these insane roller-coaster looking monstrosities that looked more at home in a video game than Speed Racer and the intensity of the colors was want to make my eyes bleed. But that thought lead me to something of a personal revelation about the race style, it was less like the classic F1 style and more like F-Zero. Once my mind had accepted that I wasn’t so thrown off by how the race scenes looked like acid trips. I was still rather nervous about the whole premise though, since it seemed like my memories of Speed Racer were being tossed aside in favor of the super sugar eye candy special effects. Despite reservations I was still really looking forward to seeing the film since to my adolescent self a Speed Racer movie would be fun if nothing else.

Well I finally came to a screening of it. Before going into the film I had read two reviews on the web, the lowest and the highest on Google. The person who gave it the lowest review was watching it because it was his job. He was reasonably fair but with no attachment to anything it seemed he really just didn’t care. The other reviewer was more inline with how I ended up feeling about the film; noting too amazing but it an enjoyable distraction. So slightly primed for the best and worst of the reviews I ponied up my ticket fare and walked into the theatre.

-=-=-=-

While my eyes adjusted to the monochromatic closing credits, I was still seeing sweeps of technicolor across everything. I mused that I was quietly at peace with the experience. I had some gripes but all in all I was quite pleased.

• The look of Speed Racer was by in large still intact.
• The races were the more interesting and important elements of the film and they were quite good at that.
• The Mach 5 was resplendent in all its CGI gloss.
• Racer X was a cool as ever.
• Speed won the race and got the girl, just like Brian Boitano would do.

Almost everything I expected was in the film. OH! and the air jacks were done expertly, handled with such style and panache that they leveled several of the lamer elements. My inner purist geek was pleased to see the classic Speed Racer pose still made and appearance and that his original costume also was in it for quite some time. But that didn’t quite cover some of the elements that left me cold.

Obviously no film is quite perfect, although there are many that make a good run at it, and such there are places that I wish had been done better or were just too much.

• The first one that comes to mind is the “duel” between Speed’s hub shield and the other driver’s tire spike. OMG that was so ridiculously lame. If they had collided and then separated and then used their cars to try and maneuver their weapons into position I would have been fine, but … they reach for little joysticks have a fight with the spike and shield like they were at the Ren Faire. I don’t know who dreamed that up but, no. Not OK.
• Next is the fight between Team Racer and the low level mafia group on top of the mountains. It was kinda fun for the first minute … but after that the speed lines and the hyper cut style of the scene became wearisome and I wanted to get back to the racing because that was rather cool. I doubt the fight was very long but it felt like it was really dragging on.
• Trixie is suddenly a ace class driver. This is huge mis-step, that could have been easily avoided. A turn on the simulator or some other race thing where Trixie does as well or better than Speed, during one of the flash back sequences could have dodged this bullet by a mile.
• This last one is more of nit pik but the geek purist in me needs to say something. Speed did not drive the Mach 5 in the final race. I know why they did it and I understand why they did it … but no. The Mach 5 > Speed Racer, the original japanese title was Mach 5 Go Go Go! In many ways the Mach 5 is more important than the driver. But that’s largely an issue of semantics and personal feelings.

With all these considerations I’d say this is a good low brow sort of film. The visual crush of the graphics is like a sugar induced adrenaline rush. I doubt it will induce epileptic seizures but it is very very bright and there are times when there are lots of flashes during the races. The overall effect to me was that it wasn’t Speed Racer yet it was so very much like it that I had fun. There are some elements that may go over kids heads, but that’s not always a bad thing, might give them something to reflect on if/when they watch it again. So it’s a good popcorn/cotton candy movie, less like steak and potatoes.

Grade: B, 80% — A solid effort with a few fumbles along the way. Over all fun. Kick back and let the technicolor flow over you. Be aware my sense of nostalgia may be tainting the score about +10% or so.

A Review by Cade Antilles

As a youth, growing up in the 80s and 90s, I was drawn to tales of adventure. Possibly the greatest adventure hero in film history, and a definite childhood favorite of mine, is Indiana Jones. In all honesty, it is mostly due to the Indiana Jones franchise that I’d gained such a love of history.

It has been a long time in coming, but the silver screen was finally graced, once again, with that iconic fedora. Harrison Ford reprises his role as the intrepid archaeologist in the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Directed by Steven Spielberg and written by George Lucas, it had the trappings of a perfect union, because it was the golden formula that spawned the original trio. However, the newest addition just couldn’t measure up to the splendor of its predecessors.

This is going to be long, but it needs to be.

Before I tear into the film, I have to say that I think this film should be watched. And watched in the theatres. While I do find faults, it isn’t a horrid movie, and is rather enjoyable. Just be forewarned that it’s not as good as the originals. I will also do my best not to spoil the plot for those who still haven’t seen it.

The plot travels in a direction that is very different from the previous films. While the originals dealt with divine power, it kept things a mystery. The powers of the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, and the Shankara Stones were based on mysticism and fantasy. They were given no explanation except that they were special through divinity. However, the Crystal Skull is grounded in science fiction. It takes an ancient religion and grounds it with an explanation. While this explanation is just as far-fetched as a Knight living 600 years in a little cave just by the power of the Grail, it loses its fantasy feel by being tangible. I don’t know if I can really explain that properly without revealing more, but, ultimately, it detracts from the atmosphere of what defines an Indiana Jones movie. It honestly felt more like a plot for a Tomb Raider film. (not that I have a big problem with those films, they just have a different feel to them)

The flow of the film was choppy. Instead of fluid transitions from location to location (and even scene to scene), what exists is a bumpy road of connected events. Not bad, but not comfortable either.

Characters and their development were weak. I may be the only person in the world to say this, but I liked Shia LeBouf’s character of Mutt Williams. I wish there was more development for him, but there isn’t. Cate Blanchett’s Irina Spalko is too weird to be taken seriously for a villain. Plus, Miss Blanchett needed a better accent coach, ’cause her Russian slipped into an English accent too often (even though she’s Australian). Many of the other supporting characters suffered similar fates, receiving little to no development. John Hurt is excellent, though, and Harrison Ford still makes a great Indiana Jones.

The action goes over the top in many cases. Moments that were too comical or ridiculous, even for Indiana Jones, took away from the film. There are many good, iconic Indiana Jones action moments, but they’re quickly overshadowed by unbelievable moments.

The special effects were very good, but, once more, the reliance on CG made the film less believable. It may be a good cost saving endeavor, but there’s something to be said about a lost art of filmaking. When things are filmed on location, it helps the audience feel like they’re part of the action. If the audience can tell that what they’re looking at is fake, they will feel detached. And that is another reason why this film isn’t as good as the old ones.

Bottom line is: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is still fun. It is entertaining, and I recommend seeing it in the theatre, but be forewarned that, for many reasons, it doesn’t live up to its name.

Grade: B- (80%)

As a frame of reference:

Raiders of the Lost Ark: A (95%)

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: A- (92%)

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: A (94%)