The Human Revolution is Here! A Deus Ex: HR Review
Game Info:
- Sequels: Deus Ex (2000), Deus Ex: Invisible War (2003)
- Production/Development: Square Enix, Eidos Montreal
- Genre: Action, Role-Playing
- Release Info: 8/23/11, XBOX/PC/PS3/MAC
- ESRB Rating: Mature 17+
The Human Revolution is upon us. The limits we once faced are no more and the time has come to redefine what it means to be human. The question is, at what point does this self-created evolution cross the line? Should there even be any line at all? Either way, you have to decide. Will you join the revolution? Or will you join hands against it? (This review is based on the PC version.)
Unlimited Reviews: Captain America: The First Avenger
“Whatever happens, stay who you are. Not just a soldier, but a good man.”
The time is 1942. World War II is still raging on. 90-pound-when-wet Steve Rogers wishes to enlist in the U.S. Army to do his part in serving his country, but is rejected on grounds of being too sickly and weak. However, he finally is given his chance as he is offered to be a part of a secret government program that turns him in the epitome of human potential, a super soldier. Donning the moniker Captain America, he enters the war against the Axis forces. However, the Nazi organization HYDRA and its leader the “Red Skull” has tapped into a power beyond our world for his plans of world domination…
Now for the review:
Ah, Cap. After three failed attempts at making you work for the silver screen, we finally have one that did its job well and more.
Captain America’s special effects served its job well. Nothing particularly worth noting, but it is really is nice to see explosions that aren’t computer generated. I suppose I should mention how well they managed to make Chris Evans look like a scrawny wimp at the start of the movie? Frankly, it looked extremely well done. If you weren’t aware of that it was an effect, you probably won’t even notice. However, there are some scenes that were a bit obvious due to how thin his neck is compared to his large head, but those scenes are few and far between.
The music for the movie was, naturally, war-based in nature and really worked well with the time of WWII. It was very patriotic, and made you feel like punching a Nazi in the face. Also, there was this one song in the movie called “Star Spangled Man” that was ridiculously catchy, cheesy, and hilarious. I was pleasantly surprised to read it was composed by Alan Menken of Disney Renaissance fame. Excellent job, sir.
The casting of Captain America could not have been more perfect. When I first heard Chris Evans was cast as Cap, I was pretty skeptical. I mean, really? Chris Evans? The Human Torch from the Fantastic Four movies? Yeah, he redeemed himself by completely awesome in Scott Pilgrim, but I just didn’t see him as the humble and patriotic Captain America. Thankfully, he put his heart into this role and really showed the human side of Cap.
Hugo Weaving was just so delightfully evil. He never exactly took his role seriously, but I don’t think it would have worked if he did. He chewed the scenery like there was no tomorrow and was exactly what you’d expect from a pulp-inspired movie like this. Hayley Atwell served your typical female love interest character, Sebastian Stan actually made BUCKY of all characters awesome, and Tommy Lee Jones was…Tommy Lee Jones. Which is awesome.
Captain America felt a breath of fresh air for me after seeing it. While the movie is unmistakably a superhero movie, this movie also decided to blend a war story into it. Yes, you’re probably wondering isn’t that natural considering the origin story of Captain America? That is true, but for some reason the old Captain America movies tend to gloss over that fact. As such, the movie had this very classic pulp fiction feel to it. It employed many of the tropes you’d expect out of a movie like this and you can probably predict exactly what happens.
However, that does not mean the movie was cliché-ridden. Much like in Thor, Captain America had a definitive self-awareness that allowed it to subvert expectations and even show what would happen realistically in certain situations. For example, even after turning into a super soldier, Cap was used as a mascot for the U.S. war propaganda due to a public display of heroics he did in stopping a HYDRA agent. It is after a solo mission he did on his own did he become a true American soldier in the war effort.
That isn’t to say the movie didn’t have its silly moments, however. No matter how much they tried to set up HYDRA as an intimidating force, the Red Skull’s makeup was just downright goofy. It was just hilarious to look at and you can’t keep yourself from giggling at it. It also doesn’t help that HYDRA’s salute consisted of them thrusting out both of their arms.
No, but the true charm of Captain America: The First Avenger was simply the character of Captain America himself. After seeing so many films about these people that become heroes because they wished to become better people or anti-heroes (which isn’t a bad thing, mind you), it’s just so refreshing to see someone that actually become a hero because he was already a good person. You see Cap struggle in his attempts to be able to be that person that helps people. You see him as the weakling that stood up to bullies despite his weakness. You see him in war training, showing his determination. You see him despair at being unable to do it. You see him become the hero that he was meant to be. You can side with him because he is a good man given the chance to show how great he can be.
For this patriot superhero movie, I give a:
4.5 out of 5
Captain America: The First Avenger is a pulpy-good movie. Although I didn’t cover it in the review, the action was great, the atmosphere was like something out of an oldie film reel, and Cap was just awesome. I’m confident enough to say this is as good as Iron Man for me.
I recommend this movie to those looking for a good, summer superhero movie and those that wish to see an honest and good hero in action. Oh, and be sure to stay after the credits for the first trailer for the Avengers movie!
Captain America: The First Avenger was produced by Marvel Studios, and distributed by Paramount Pictures.
A Certain Scientific Railgun – Our Bonds Give Us Strength
From left to right: Ruiko Saten, Mikoto Misaka, Shirai Kuroko, Kazari Uiharu
“Academy City is the best place to be – it’s where we can be ourselves. Things we can’t do by ourselves, we can do together with everyone." -Mikoto Misaka.
People encounter challenges everyday because of limitations, emotions, and expectations that are set against them. Having friends that will support one another through their struggles creates an empowering relationship, enabling a person to improve themselves from the bonds they share together. Toaru Kagaku no Railgun/とある科学の超電磁砲（レールガン） (“A Certain Scientific Railgun”) is a side story to A Certain Magical Index/Toaru Majutsu no Index. The anime revolves around four main heroines: Mikoto Misaka, Shirai Kuroko, Kazari Uiharu, and Ruiko Saten. Together they encounter challenges and problems in the technologically advanced city that they live in, called “Academy City”. Many people go to Academy City to become ability users, or espers as they call it, which leads to many conflicts in the city because of the powers people have. Through the conflicts that the four heroines overcome, their ties of friendship become stronger and they help each other get through each of their own problems. Viewers will be entertained by the interesting setting and concept of Academy City, along with relationships between the four girls. This setup creates a strong plot with action, sci-fi, and comedic elements. The anime aired from October 2nd, 2009 to March 19th, 2010. Spoilers will be little to none in this review, as people generally do not like spoilers after all!
A Certain Magical Index II – Illusions Will Be Broken
"If it does nothing more than cause meaningless violence, then I will destroy it with this hand!" (Kamijou Touma). The heroic Touma is back for another season of action between religion and science in the continuation of the anime adaptation of the light novel series, Toaru Majutsu no Index/ とある魔術の禁書目録 (A Certain Magical Index). With significantly more action packed arcs, the second season of A Certain Magical Index will keep you entertained and waiting for more. Almost every episode had me excited and eagerly waiting for the next one. This anime aired from October 8th, 2010 to April 1st, 2011. My review will contain little to no spoilers.
GANTZ Live-Action Film to Premiere in the U.S.
Japanese live-action film GANTZ begins its international theatrical run tonight with a world premiere that kicks off in 325 theaters in the United States. Three of those theaters happen to be in our hometown, New York City! As you've probably guessed from the title, the film is based on the sci-fi action anime and manga GANTZ.
For those who are not familiar with this series, the two protagonists Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato save a drunkard from getting squashed by an on-coming train. However, they get killed in the process instead. That's where things get interesting. Instead of them dying when they are killed, they prove Shirou wrong and respawn in the "afterlife" in an apartment with a black ball called GANTZ. The ball opens up to inform them that their "lives" now belong to it and that they are to go kick some alien asses (by killing those pesky extraterrestrials). If they kill enough aliens fast enough, then they are allowed to live regularly until it's time to kill more aliens or reach 100 points, at which time they're freed from this game.
The Walking Dead
What better way to celebrate the month of terror and trick-or-treating than to release a new series about the "walking dead". AMC (American Movies Classics) will be airing their new show on October 31 during their "Freakfest" marathon. Developed by Frank Darabont and based on the comic book series of the same name, The Walking Dead is about a group of people who survived the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse.
The protagonist Rick Grimes, a police officer, leading the group in search of a new home. The show starts off with Grimes and his partner involved in a car pursuit, while successfully apprehending the suspect, Grimes was shot in the back by a second suspect who tried to run away. We then see him hospitalized and remained there for what may have been months. He wakes up in an entirely different world (not unlike the ending to the first Resident Evil movie). The first episode will be movie-equse and is about 90 minutes long.
My first impression of the trailer was positive. Though some might call me biased, since I am a fan of the survival horror genre, I find the show to have elements that aren't just hack and slash and action packed; there were moments that makes us wonder about the characters and somehow hate and love them at the same time. The costume and art direction is simply amazing, it is pretty hard to have such great looking special effects on a television series no less. For those of you who haven't already already heard of the show (while there is a leaked version, I strongly suggest you wait till Halloween!) I would recommend this to anyone who loves zombies as much as I do.
Unlimited Reviews: The Expendables
5 = Perfection.
4.5 = REALLY good, but lacking that oomph to make it 5.
4 = Great.
3.5 = Above average. Definitely worth a look.
3 = Average.
2.5 = Below average. If you like its genre, you probably would like it.
2 = Not terrible, but not something you would like.
1.5 = Bad, but still worth checking JUST to make fun of how bad it is.
1 = BEWARE! EVIL! NOT EVEN WORTH MAKING FUN OF! WILL LITERALLY MAKE YOU SICK!
It has Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, and Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger making cameos. WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?! Actually…
The Expendables is about a group of mercenaries that are given a job to take down a South American dictator. And… yeah, that’s about it and all that you’re getting out of me. Besides, the plot isn’t the point of this movie.
Now for the review:
The Expendables is going to be a special case where I review the plot first (unless you’re reading this on leetNEET, then you’ll see more “special cases” in my old reviews). In this film, plot comes second in terms of priority. What does come first? Mind. Blowing. Action. So, naturally, the plot is just going to be an excuse to showoff some kickass action scenes. I will say, however, that it was a rather big surprise to me that the main female lead in this movie wasn’t a love interest for Sylvester Stallone’s character. Rather, she served the role of a sort of offering of salvation for Sly’s soul. I’m sure a lot of people would miss that aspect if they weren’t paying much attention, which I can’t blame them. They came into this movie to see Schwarzenegger talk trash to Stallone and everyone else kill nameless mooks.
You know how I said Inception had an “all-star cast”? Well, screw that. Expendables probably had the best cast for the next few years. Another rather large surprise for me was that everyone (with the sole exception of Eric Roberts) turned out excellent performances, rather than just hamming it up. Mind you, it was a bit exaggerated at times, making it look like they had a lot of fun with this movie. Two actors I want to single out are Dolph Lundgren and Mickey Rourke. Dolph’s character probably had the most interesting character arc in this movie. I can’t go into detail about what it was due to it being a spoiler, but please take my word for it. I really wanted to see more scenes with him. As for Mickey Rourke, there was one scene where his character told an extremely emotional story that grabbed the attention of everyone in the theater. You could feel the gripping atmosphere as he spoke. I couldn’t turn away and was so enthralled in his story. It was beyond exceptional.
The action for this film was big, loud, and stupid. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying every minute of it. However, I probably enjoyed it for all the wrong reasons. I’ll be combining the action with my overall analysis of the movie, since it tied into what made or broke it. The Expendables was an ensemble action movie that was meant to be a throwback and a tribute to the great action movies of the 80’s and 90’s. Did it succeed in that aspect? Well, honestly, it was a mixed bag. Yes, the action was pretty good and the acting was probably better than those old films. The problem lies in the execution, however. The action scenes were indeed well choreographed. There was no doubt in that. The scenes, however, were filmed by someone with spastic hands. Shaky cam plagued this movie and it left me with a headache by the time the movie was over. It also did not help that there were so many edits to them. It might just be my personal preference in action films to just leave the camera by the side as a couple of guys kick ass, but you decide for yourselves.
The most damning and disappointing problem, though, was that the film’s herd of action stars was largely underutilized. I was willing to forgive the simple plot this had. I was willing to forgive the shaky cam. I couldn’t forgive this. One of the biggest drawing points of The Expendables was that it had some of the greatest action film actors of the past and today kicking ass together. Aside from Stallone, Statham and possibly Jet Li; the cast had minimal contribution to the film. As a big fan of cheesy 80’s action movies, I expected each individual actor to get their own little character piece; a small subplot for each that showed them off. But we didn’t get that. Dolph Lundgren and Mickey Rourke’s scenes did show that potential in the movie, but they sadly remained only as potential and went underplayed.
For this tribute to 80’s action films, I give a:
2.5 out of 5
Despite my complaints, The Expendables was still a silly and fun action movie. The problem was just that it was very disappointing after hearing so much hype about it. It could've been a contender for a classic, but it failed to live up to expectations. But I’d really love to see a sequel. I’m sure it’d be a lot better. I recommend giving it a viewing at least once in your life.
I recommend this movie for those who love action films, especially old-school types. And those who want to see Arnold on the big-screen for the first time in over a decade.
The Expendables was made by Nu Image and Millennium Films; and distributed by Lionsgate.
Unlimited Reviews: Predators
My rating system:
5 = Perfection.
4.5 = REALLY good, but lacking that oomph to make it 5.
4 = Great.
3.5 = Above average. Definitely worth a look.
3 = Average.
2.5 = Below average. If you like its genre, you probably would like it.
2 = Not terrible, but not something you would like.
1.5 = Bad, but still worth checking JUST to make fun of how bad it is.
1 = BEWARE! EVIL! NOT EVEN WORTH MAKING FUN OF! WILL LITERALLY MAKE YOU SICK!
Predators is about a group that are made up of seven killers (and a doctor) that is quite literally dropped onto a jungle-covered alien planet. They are forced to work together as they attempt to survive the planet's terrain, wildlife, and the very Predators that have brought them there in the first place to hunt for sport. Things do not look good for this group.
Now for the review:
Predators had everything I did not like in a good movie: A simple plot, unsympathetic characters, and gratuitous violence. And yet, I found it pretty damn sweet! Its simple plot of a group of people being hunted by Predators seemed to actually help its case. This film was very self-aware and knew that it was more-or-less a summer popcorn flick, so it stuck with a straightforward story, but packed in as much awesome as it can into itself. While the characters were "unsympathetic," being badass killers on Earth, they were still likeable and very entertaining to watch; much like the characters from Baccano!. Hell, I actually found Stans, the criminal on the most wanted list, to be highly amusing despite several people feeling he was a complete monster. This goes to show how well a character is written when a guy who generally dislikes characters like those actually doesn't here. As for gratuitous violence… It's a Predator movie. You really can't expect anything less than that.
The acting all around was really standard fare with the exception of Laurence Fishburne. He was chewing through the scenery so much that it was ever so delightfully hilarious. I really wish they gave him more to do. Though I know what you all really want to know: How did Adrian "The Pianist" Brody do? It's a little hard for me to explain properly, but I'll sum it up in a quick sentence: Think what Christian Bale did with his voice in the Batman suit, only more convincing. I was honestly pretty surprised. Yes, he was putting on one of those tough guy gruff voices, but was actually pretty badass in the action scenes. Mind you, he wasn't as good as Arnold Schwarzenegger (honestly, who is?), but still preformed well.
The special effects for the movie aren't anything to comment on. It was pretty standard. However, I thought the Predators' makeup was really good. Instead of the usual CGI monsters we've been seeing as of late, we're actually getting guys dressed as the Predators! Finally, something TANGIABLE that you are willing to believe that are interacting with the actors, props and the set! Hollywood: Please…PLEASE follow this movie's example!
The action in this movie was over-the-top awesome. Honestly, three-quarters this movie is made of badass action sequences that catered to our inner bloodlust and desire for random gunfire. About every classic 80's action film cliché was in this, and it was ever so satisfying. While I'd usually nag my readers' ears off with my "Nothing is cliché; simply tradition" line whenever I'd even utter the word cliché, I don't think it quite fits this time around. They were clichés, yes. But as I said before, the movie was very self-aware. I'm sure it was done intentionally as a throwback to the original. Actually, there were a lot of throwbacks to the original!
However, despite my praise for this movie, I cannot say this movie is "good" in the traditional sense. While the action was very entertaining and satisfying, the movie never seemed to escape the looming shadow of its predecessors. It fell into a rut and didn't really want to take risks in being different from the original Predator. Again, however, this movie was still leaps and bounds better than many of Hollywood's recent remakes or reboots of past movies and television shows. It stayed very true to its source material, almost to a fault, and managed to still be a very entertaining film. You can't really fault a movie for being what it is, though you can seriously appreciate the amount of effort that went into it to be entertaining and even breaking boundaries.
For this revival of the Predator franchise, I give a:
3.5 out of 5
While by no means great, Predators was still a welcome sequel to Predator and a cut above the rest of the revivals Hollywood have been churning out as of late. I look forward to a possible sequel.
I recommend this movie to Predator fans and those wanting an aimless-yet-awesome action film.
Predators was made by Troublemaker Studios and Davis Entertainment; and distributed by 20th Century Fox.
Unlimited Reviews: Inception
My rating system:
5 = Perfection.
4.5 = REALLY good, but lacking that oomph to make it 5.
4 = Great.
3.5 = Above average. Definitely worth a look.
3 = Average.
2.5 = Below average. If you like its genre, you probably would like it.
2 = Not terrible, but not something you would like.
1.5 = Bad, but still worth checking JUST to make fun of how bad it is.
1 = BEWARE! EVIL! NOT EVEN WORTH MAKING FUN OF! WILL LITERALLY MAKE YOU SICK!
Hello, everyone. I am No Limit. Reviewer of everything under the sun. Anything is my domain and I shall pass my judgment on it…. Well, to the best of my ability anyway. Onward to the review!
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Whenever a movie based on a video game is released, it is welcomed by moans and groans. This movie genre dredges up horrible memories of Uwe Boll movies that are as horrid as horrid can be. In fact, I hear the current feature in Hell is 'Dead or Alive'. Luckily, 'Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time' is not directed by Boll, but Mike Newell instead, a man who won a few film awards in his past. Has Prince of Persia finally stopped this trend of bad video game movies? Well... Yes and no.
