Jurassic World
Greetings, Jurassic World was released in 2015 and it is the fourth instalment in the Jurassic Park series which began in 1993. The new cast includes Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Nick Robinson, Ty Simpkins and Jake Johnson. It should be noted that there are no returning characters such as Dr Alan Grant or Dr Ian Malcolm except for Dr Henry Wu who is reprised by his actor, B.D. Wong. Like Jurassic Park 3, World does not rely on the novels of the late Michael Crichton for inspiration. While the second and third film are still canon, the fourth movie ignores their existence for the most part and builds upon the lore established in the original plot. Apparently, Jurassic World has spent over a decade in development hell as Universal Studios had shown an interest in continuing the series in 2004 despite the mixed reaction to the sequels.
The storyline is set 22 years after the original Jurassic Park and returns to the island of Isla Nublar. A new theme park has been operating for several years despite the failure of Hammond’s vision and the massacre that had occurred in 1993. As a result, visitors are used to watching dinosaurs which prompts InGen to create genetically modified dinosaurs such as the Indominus Rex to keep attracting tourists to the island. The plot begins with Zach and Gray Mitchell being sent on holiday to the park as well their chance to visit their absentee aunt named Claire. Claire Dearing is the park’s operation manager and her occupation combined with her workaholic nature prevents her from being heavily involved in the lives of her nephews. She is pressurized by the push to open the Idominus Rex exhibit to the public and therefore asks her assistant to watch over the Mitchell brothers while she works.
John Hammond’s successor as owner of the park, Simon Masrani, asks for the Indominus Rex’s enclosure to be inspected by an expert as he does not want a repeat of the original disaster. Under his order’s, Dearing asks for Owen Grady, the Velociraptor trainer, to examine the compound. It is revealed that the Owen and Claire had a brief romantic interest in each other but they did not reach the second date as they clashes over each other’s personalities. While inspecting the area, Owen notices there are scratch marks on the wall and fears the dinosaur may have escaped its pen. The Indominus Rex is particularly dangerous due to its genetically modified nature in which it was created from various creatures and because it had been raised in isolation for its entire life. Grady and two other staff members enter the enclosure to ensure it hadn’t escaped but they quickly discover that they are locked in with the Indominus. This leads to one of the panicked workers to open the door of the compound, allowing the Rex to access the island. The dinosaur manages to escape the area and kill Owen’s two co-workers before exploring the rest of the park. Owen survives the ambush and warns the park authorities that everyone on the island is in danger. Claire only calls for an evacuation of the island after a security team fails to capture the Indominus Rex.
The music was composed by Michael Giaccchino who had previously written music for some Jurassic Park games but he incorporates some of John William’s work into the film. I admit that I was initially cautious about the quality of Jurassic World considering the standard of the two sequels from 1997 and 2001 but my concerns were unfounded. It is a predictable but fun movie which is enjoyable to watch and contains a lot of humorous moments. If you have not already seen it, I would encourage you to do so, especially if you were a fan of the original.
Plot=10/10
Characters=10/10
Special Effects=10/10
Overall=10/10
Quote of the Day
Welcome... to Jurassic Park.
John Hammond
Jurassic Park
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Greetings, the Avengers: Age of Ultron is the sequel to Joss Whedon’s 2012 Avengers film in which most of the main cast reprise their previous roles. Tom Hiddleston’s Loki is notably absent from the movie, replaced by a new protagonist called Ultron who is voiced by James Spader. Other Marvel characters from the earlier instalments in the franchise such as War Machine, Falcon and Nick Fury also return for smaller roles in Age of Ultron. It is the eleventh movie in the ever growing Marvel Cinematic Universe which also plans to release Ant-Man later in the year and seems to be building an overarching storyline between the films which surrounds the Infinity Stones.
The plot begins in the fictional Eastern European country of Sokovia, where the Avengers are assaulting a Hydra compound. They are searching for a sceptre that had previously belonged to Loki and is now in the possession of a Hdyra agent called Wolfgang von Strucker. Strucker had been using the sceptre on the Maximoff twins, known as Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, for human experimentation. The Maximoff twins hold a grudge against the Avengers as Tony Stark’s weapons had killed their parents during Iron Man’s days as an arms dealer. Quicksilver has the superpower of rapid speed while his sister has the ability to get into people’s minds and control their thoughts. The raid is successful as the Avengers manage to retrieve the sceptre but the Maximoff twins evade capture.
Stark notices that the sceptre contains Artificial Intelligence that he and Bruce Banner use to build a global defence program named Ultron. The defensive system is kept a secret from the rest of the group until Ultron is awakened and plans to save earth. The AI becomes sentient, believing that humanity must be exterminated if he is to save the world from destruction. He, in the form of one of the Iron Men bots, turns Stark’s weapons against the Avengers and escapes with the sceptre. In his quest for human extinction, Ultron recruits the Maximoff twins who desire revenge on the superheroes. As such, it is up to the Avengers to stop the AI and his mechanical army before he can complete his vision of a human free world.
While it is entertaining to watch, it does not surpass the original’s entertainment value in my opinion as the novelty of a team up is no longer a fresh concept. I believe that Marvel films are problematic because there are no high stakes due to the genre’s nature of light-heartedness. Major characters are likely to survive the ordeals they face in order to continue with their own series and therefore it lacks a tense atmosphere. The sequel tries to strengthen the characters by expanding Hawkeye’s background as well as establishing a romantic relationship between Banner and the Black Widow. If you are a fan of the original you would probably enjoy this movie although I felt as if it had less humorous moments than the first film. I do have concerns that Marvel may be oversaturating the market with future Avengers films and standalone instalments of other characters but I will have to wait to understand if this is the case.
Plot=7/10
Characters=7/10
Special Effects=7/10
Overall=7/10
Quote of the Day
The Force is with us, Master Sidious.
Count Dooku
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Lonesome Dove
Greetings, Lonesome Dove is a Western novel by Larry McMurtry. It was published in 1985 and while it is the first published book in the Lonesome Dove series, the novel is the third instalment in terms of chronological order. The story begins in 1876 in the fictional Texan border town of Lonesome Town of Lonesome Dove, following the adventures of Captain Woodrow F. Call and Captain Augustus McCrae. The two character are now older men as decades have passed since the events of Dead Man’s Walk and Comanche Moon. Both Call and McCrea were famous Texas Rangers who gave up their positions in law enforcement in order to run a livery stable. I have written about these two novels on this blog a few years ago and I do remember giving them positive reviews. Lonesome Dove continues with characters who were expanded upon in Dead Man’s Walk or Comanche Moon, while also introducing new ones.
The plot begins with Jake Spoon, an old friend of the two protagonists, traveling into Lonesome Dove. Spoon was fleeing from law enforcement as he had accidently shot and killed a dentist in Arkansas. He convinced both Woodrow and Augustus to drive a cattle herd to Montana, making them the first settlers in the frontier. The two ex-rangers decided to form a company of men and head out. Call is attracted to the idea as life in Lonesome Dove had become dull as he had spent years living in the town and all of his competitors had died. Gus is motivated by the opportunity to find his old love, Clara Allen, and rekindle the romance as the journey will take him to her location in Ogallala.
As the company sets out, Call learns that the womanizing Jake intends to take the local prostitute with them in the journey. The prostitute named Lorena had succumbed to Spoon’s charms and his promise that he would take her to San Francisco. The cattle drive will take the herd months to complete as they are trekking across America and the dangers mean they will lose men along the way. Spoon is also troubled by the fact that he is being hunted by the Arkansas sheriff known as July. The sheriff has his own problems as his unfaithful wife called Elmira decided to leave him once he set off on his travels and look for her old flame, named Dee Boot, in Ogallala. As such July’s incompetent deputy Roscoe is reluctantly sent off to tell the sheriff of his wife’s disappearance.
While I did feel that the book was slow at times and that a few scenes were unnecessary, I did enjoy it overall. It is a long novel that spans over 800 pages and it contains numerous characters that do not add to the plot or seem to serve any purpose except for expanding the fictional world. Lonesome Dove is also a 1986 Pulitzer Prize winner and its success lead to a television adaptation staring Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Duvall and Anjelica Houston. I am looking forward to the final novel called the Streets of Lerado which was published in 1993.
Plot=8/10
Character=8/10
Wording=8/10
Overall=9/10
Quote of the Day
We all make choices, but in the end, our choices make us.
Andrew Ryan
BioShock
The Walking Dead: Season Two
Greetings, the Walking Dead: Season Two is a point-and-click game from Telltale. It was released in an episodic format during the months of December 2013 to August 2014. Like the first game, Season Two also contains five episodes in total which, when connected, create an overarching storyline with a few surprising plot twists. The story focuses on Clementine’s adventures after the original season and it is effected by the decisions the player made in the first game as well as the 400 days DLC. Even though new characters are central to the storyline, previous characters are mentioned in passing and it is greatly influenced by Lee’s shadow. It still retained some of its notable features such as the limited amount of time allowed to explore the conversation branches and forcing the player to make difficult decisions, especially regarding the last choice.
The plot begins several months after the end of season one and follows the remnants of the survivor group which consists of Clementine, Omid and a pregnant Christa. At the very beginning Omid is killed by a scavenger, leaving only the two to continue to their destination of Wellington. The story skips forward to 16 months and a depressed Christa is the only left person that Clem can trust. Despite this, their relationship has become strained as Clementine’s carelessness had resulted in Omid’s death. Christa, who lost her child, is also removed from the story as they come under attack from a group of scavengers. Her fate is left unknown as Clem manages to escape the area but she falls into a turbulent river, washing her up in a different location.
At this point Clem is alone and hungry. During her travels she meets a dog named Sam. It is a possible reference to Sam of the Sam and Max videogame series that Telltale was behind, considering the other references made to the franchise in the Walking Dead. The relationship is short lived as the dog bites her when she tries to open a can of food, causing her to accidently injure it in her defensive reaction. The player can either chose to either leave the fatally wounded Sam on the pikes or end his suffering quickly. Clem tries to make her way to a safe location until she is found by survivors named Luke and Pete. They are initially wary of her, mistaking the dog bite for a walker’s but decided to bring her back to their cabin. She eventually proves that she wasn’t bitten by the walker and the group from the cabin grow to trust her but the undead aren’t their only concern as Clem learns about Carver.
Like the original, the music was composed by Jared Emerson-Johnson who is also responsible for a number of Telltale soundtracks. There Walking Dead contains many interesting and well written characters with talented voice actors or actresses behind them. The character of Luke is a particular favourite of mine. This ensures that it is harder for the player to make decisions as they have formed emotional connections with the characters. I am not sure how Telltale will make season three as the storyline will be fractured given the choices made throughout the two games and the various endings that can be unlocked. It might revolve around new characters or it could still continue with Clem. Whatever the next instalment will be, I trust Telltale will create a brilliant game and I look forward to what the future will bring.
Plot=10/10
Characters=10/10
Graphics=10/10
Overall=10/10
Quote of the Day
Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong.
Mordin Solus
Mass Effect 3
Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance
Greetings, Birdman or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance is a 2014 film starring Michael Keaton as the main protagonist. Other notable cast members in the movie include Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Naomi Watts and Emma Stone. The dark comedy was directed, co-written and produced by Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu. Aside from Birdman, I am not familiar with or have not seen the previous works of Inarritu. It is an unusual film as it is mostly filmed in one location, a Broadway theatre called the St. James Theatre in New York. The main aspect that convinced me to watch it is how the film is presented to the audience. The camerawork appeared to be one continuous shot as it follows characters around the set and when they interact with each other, it will break off from the actor to focus on another actor’s scenes.
The plot is rather a simple one. It follows the story of Riggan Thomson, a washed up actor with obvious mental issues that deteriorate throughout the film, as he tries to reinvent his career and rebuild his life. Thomson was known for playing a widely popular superhero known as Birdman a few decades earlier in a blockbuster series. It is a clear parallel with Keaton’s Batman from 1989 and 1992. Riggan occasionally hallucinates in the storyline as he can hear a disembodied voice prompting and tormenting him to return to the Birdman series. He also imagines himself as having supernatural abilities such as telekinesis and the ability to fly. The protagonist ignores the voice as best as he can as he tries to convert Raymond Carver’s ‘What we talk about when we talk about love’ into a stage adaptation. While trying to work Raymond also suffers with his family life as his daughter, Samantha, struggles from a drug addiction.
The talented but excessively unpredictable actor known as Mike Shiner is recruited as a main member of the cast as he would attract an audience to the theatre. While acting out the play on preview night Mike gets drunk on stage and ruins the play in front of a live audience. The event causes a rift in the relationship between Thomson and Shiner that continues to grow into open conflict, putting a strain on the production. Relations between the two are damaged even further when the media pays more attention to Mike than Riggan, which makes Thomson jealous as the project was his way of returning into the spotlight. The plot progresses as viewers watch the protagonist fall further and further into an unstable psychological state as his life falling into tatters.
Birdman has little music in it bar a continuous drumroll and a few scenes were classical music is played in the background. The Unexpected Virtues of ignorance is not a film everybody is going to enjoy as it is rather slow paced with little plot to keep it going. After having seen it I’m not sure what to think about it as it contained some interesting, new ideas but also had aspects that I didn’t enjoy. For instance, I believe it would have been better if some unnecessary scenes have were cut out in the final version. A more varied music selection would also have been preferable to the solo and monotonous sound of the drum kit. Despite this, the main draw that I found intriguing was how it was shot as if it was a continuous scene. Overall, I’m not sure if I would recommend it or see it again but I am glad that I did watch it in the first place.
Plot=7/10
Characters=6/10
Special Effects=7/10
Overall=7/10
Quote of the Day
I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse.
Don Vito Corleone
The Godfather
William Litt: Legends
Greetings, hope you are enjoying your holidays. This is just a short blog update to say that ‘William Litt: Legends’ is up on Write Wise. I first advertised the entry on the 15th February 2015, it was attached to the Sam and Max: Hit the Road review. The story was finally completed a few days ago and it consists of 14 chapters in total. It is my 21st entry on the site and my latest story since ‘The Death and Life of Ellen Smith’, which was released in December. Even though the challenges are no longer running, I still intend to write for the site occasionally with ongoing series or new entries.
The first Litt entry, named Corruption, was posted 4 years ago and it was my fourth entry for Write Wise. The sequel is much longer than the original as ‘Corruption’ was only around 3,500 words long. This story takes place several months after the last plotline ended and occasionally mentions William’s previous adventure. As such, ‘Legends’ revolves around new characters that hadn’t been introduced previously and the story mostly stands on its own. I will be back on the blog soon with more reviews and hope you enjoy my latest story.
Quote of the Day
Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to.
Agent K
Men in Black 3
