Comic Book Overkill

Nerd rant alert...

I have a fear that by the end of this post most of you will be shouting hypocrisy, and more than a few of you will be calling for blood.

Why? well because I'm going to be discussing an issue I have with the veritable pile up of comic book media visiting screens soon. Because that is what the genre is becoming - a pile up - and very soon I fear it is going to be a car crash.

There are just too many superhero related films, TV shows, tie-in merchandise and video games coming out in the near (and worryingly distant future). In this year we will have:

• Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man and Fantastic Four in films, 
• Gotham, Flash, Marvel's Agents of Shield, Marvel's Agent Carter, Arrow and Marvel's Daredevil on TV.
• and relatively less in video games with just Batman: Arkham Knight (although the lack of games is probably due to the shocking history of superhero games.

That is quite a lot hitting our screens, but 2015 is relatively quiet in comparison to the upcoming years. Take just next year for instance. 2016 will feature eight cinematic films and the amount of TV shows is set to increase too. This amount is going to be the standard amount from next year until at least 2020.

Oh, and these only reflect the two major comic book publishers, DC and Marvel's, intellectual property. There are many more lesser known comic book tie-ins coming.

Now I am someone who enjoys comics, so I should love these films right? 

Well yes I do, and you can read my opinion on the latest Avengers here. 

But I can't help feeling that the market is becoming over saturated and the franchises will soon sink. Even I'm getting fed up of seeing superheros plastered on everything, so surely the average non-nerd is too. At the very least people will be getting confused as to whom fights with whom and why certain heroes aren't appearing in certain franchises.

Film fatigued can effect fans and casual watchers alike.

And this fatigue can harm how  the fans feel towards a film. I had this feeling as I went into Avengers: Age of Ultron. The Avengers franchise has the had the threat of the villain Thanos hanging over it since Avengers Assemble, and with every addition the end game has been hinted at more and more. However the payoff for this will not come until Avengers Infinity War Pt. 2, which is scheduled for release in 2019.

Thanos is hardly a threat when he has to sit in that throne for another eight films.

Don't get me wrong I enjoyed Avengers: Age of Ultron, and definitely the Guardians of the Galaxy, but I still went in feeling that it could be nothing more than filler with an end goal far out of sight. You could argue that it is my own fault for reading everything and everything I find, that I have spoilt it for myself. But whether I know about it or not doesn't change the fact that there are so many films coming out.

And for those who are only casual fans the amount of films must be confusing. Without doing the reading that I mentioned above it will be hard to know what films tie into what. This confusion only gets worse when we consider the two Quicksilvers that are hitting the screens. 

If your an avid fan or not it won't be long before people tire of superheroes. At which point this fad will end as it does with all popular culture. The problem is that by over-saturating the screens the studios are bursting the fad sooner, bringing on their own demise. At the rate they are going at now I worry if anyone will be interested by the time that Avengers: Infinity wars pt. 2 releases, let alone the scheduled films for the 2020s.


Comic timeline photo from Outerplaces, Hypocrite meme from quickmeme, Thanos image from Screenrant.

Avengers: Age of Ultron - Film Review

This review is spoiler free.

Next week I am hitting London's MCM Expo. Since Avengers: Ageof Ultron is the big nerd film at the moment I thought I best watch it soon as MCM will hold spoilers.

My lateness in seeing the film was in part because I had grown weary of the film before even seeing it. We have heard so much about where the Marvel cinematic universe (MCU) is going. With releases scheduled right up until 2020 I couldn’t imagine that the story would be that significant. Added to this the trailers had given a lot away for me, as a true nerd, I had over-speculated and deduced the plot from the teasers.

But I have finally seen it, and whilst I had been correct in my predictions, I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Avengers: Age of Ultron is the sequel to The Avengers, but technically also a sequel to many other recent Marvel films. Thankfully, you do not need to have seen every addition; nor even have seen the original Avengers. However a basic knowledge of the heroes is helpful.

It's okay, he doesn't start performing a Hamlet monologue.

The film opens with the Avengers creating a new initiative, named Ultron, that hopes to make world peace a reality. However, it doesn’t take long for the Ultron initiative to turn sour. The result is a rather confused sentient AI that believes the key to peace is the extinction of the Avengers, followed by the rest of humanity. The Avengers then have a race against time to save the world and stop the Age of Ultron.

The teaser made it look dark, but it is the usual perfectly balanced between fun and action packed that you would expect from a Marvel film. Even the bleakest situations are met with a quick-fire quip. For instance when Iron Man swears during a firefight Captain America reminds him to watch his ‘language’. This extends to the villain Ultron who appeared to be pompous in the trailer. Instead even he doesn’t stick to a straight script and banters with the best of them. This makes him rather human, despite being an entirely artificial intelligence.

It is a good job that the team have some support in the form of the Maximoff twins Wanda and Pietro, AKA Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. These two new additions are far from normal, and have certain mutations enhancements. Quicksilver is a speedster, and Scarlet Witch is a telepath, has telekinetic abilities, spatial manipulation and, ummm, is ‘weird’ (as described by Maria Hill).

The two new heroes are played by Aaron Taylor Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen. I was skeptical at first as the last time I saw this pair was in Godzilla, and you can tell how I felt about that here. But this time around they impressed me, especially Olsen’s weird stutter movements as Scarlet Witch (very Japanese-horror style). Johnson wasn’t bad as a slightly dense, but good natured, Quicksilver. They have a great relationship on-screen and you can really believe that they are brother and sister. Each balancing each other perfectly, in personality and power. However, Johnson's performance as Quicksilver is not a patch on Evan Peters in X Men Days of FuturePast (that comparison is inevitably always going to haunt Avengers Age of Ultron).

I believe the best character was Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye. I was one of the few people who actually liked Hawkeye in the original Avengers. Many considered the guy with a bow useless, on a team composed of gods and immortal soldiers. But his archery skills impressed me far more than Thor’s lightening or Captain America’s invincible patriotism. This film really allows Hawkeye to shine. We get to learn much more about the hawk this time, including his personality, now free from mind control, and his sense of humour. Whilst he may be mortal the team needs him as much as any other member. He is a symbol for fighting even when you are mismatched. 


There are also some great performances from Mark Ruffalo and Scarlett Johanson as Hulk and Black Widow. I had read many articles before seeing the film about the two having great on-screen chemistry. Now I see why, and have to admit that both play the part of good people with a monstrous other side perfectly. Possibly the best will they, won't they since Ross and Rachael on Friends.

Still a better love story than Twilight

Overall, Avengers Age of Ultron doesn't change the superhero formula much. Bad guy vs good guys, but Marvel does it well as allways. Never becoming too heavy or dry, and having enough story to stay fresh throughout. It was well paced too, so beats the original which I felt had too many climactic moments. It is a great blockbuster, although I have to wonder why it was scheduled for spring and not the summer. I hope that Marvel's Antman is befitting of the summer spot.

Lucy Film Review

I wasn't quite sure how to feel whilst watching a Korean man knee-slide down a hallway as he fired a Bazooka: scared, confused, patronised and maybe even a little bit violated. Watching Lucy was a complex experience to say the least.

Note: This review is spoiler-free.

Lucy is a science-fiction action film from the director Luc Besson, best known for the more down-to-earth Taken films (which if anymore sequels are made should probably be known as 'Returned' by about now). It stars Black Widow Scarlett Johansson as the titular Lucy, a woman bestowed with accelerated evolution after her stint as a drug mule goes awry. As the film went on, I wished she had stayed as a drugs mule and not as a symbol for brain power recruitment initiatives.

After viewing a trailer I was interested by the premise. Yes, the overused line of 'humans only use 10% of their brains' was the key theme (which I know is a false fact as we use pretty much 100% of our grey matter), but it looked like a solid action film. Also, one with a strong female lead. Unfortunately, this pseudo-science theme was expelled horrendously and in a way that defied its own logic. I will state that it is fine playing with our concept of science in fiction, but a writer should know their story's science on a level that stays consistent.


The beginning gave me hope; the opening scene where Johansson becomes a drugs mule against her will is intense. It set up a great conflict/revenge plotline. Yet, from this promising idea, I was whisked away to Morgan Freeman delivering a lecture on the possibilities of expanding the human brain capacity. At this point the film took a nose-dive.

The lecture was, in my opinion, a heavy-handed way of explaining the film's premise, and outlined where the story would go. How fortunate to give the audience the different brain capacities one might go through in a particular set of circumstances where their mind evolved (a plant and payoff trope if I have ever seen one). Luckier still that the main character passed through these stages before reaching the theoretical 100%.

Acting wise, I would like to applaud Johansson for her performance in this film. Her character evolves into an emotionless being, and as such Johansson had a difficult task ahead. Playing a character with complex emotions can result in two outcomes: a) the actor/actress takes this as an excuse to phone it in and the complex character becomes monotone, or b) despite playing it in a monotone voice the actor/actress delivers a multi-layered character regardless. Johansson manages point b and Lucy actually becomes a fully-fleshed person despite her bland personality.

On the other hand, I was rather unimpressed with Freeman who seemed to play his usual type of character. He said things slowly whilst sounding sincere, so that everything he said sounded meaningful. Unfortunately for him, what he said wasn't too meaningful. I think it could have been swapped for his narration in March of the Penguins, and his character would have been just as useful. The issue I had with his character was his point within the plot. As Lucy became godlike, I began to question why she would need his help. After all, she had already read all of his research.

The Simpsons can get away with it, because its The Simpsons.
Enough said.

Lastly, Amir Waked delivers a rather out of place character that serves as a perpetually confused witness to Lucy's actions. Once again I don't understand why Lucy needs him, the reason given is a reminder of humanity. But as she is a being above emotion and of heightened brain function, I don't really buy this. Instead, I believe he is the remnants of a romantic side story which was forgotten.

Lucy has a interesting idea for an action film, a traditional approach for a revenge flick, but with a female lead and super powers thrown in. Unfortunately, the film misunderstood its own logic and went over the top. I would say it jumped the shark, but even that wouldn't cover fist-bumping the first monkey to evolve. This monkey is also named Lucy, I see what you did there film!


Film poster from Allocine, Simpsons image from TVTropes.

Interstellar Science Fiction Films

Before we begin another reminder that I have been nominated for two UK Blog Awards, my nominations can be found here and here. I would really appreciate your support.

Last week saw the release of Christopher Nolan's new film Interstellar. The latest Science Fiction blockbuster that once again sees humanity seeking a solution to a future blight. As a result some brave space explorers blast into the stars to find the answer.

Image from Interstellar-movie.com

Now I'm going admit something to you, I am not a big fan of films in space (that's films set in space, not that I have an extraterrestrial cinema). I do enjoy Christopher Nolan films, but I don't find Interstellar that appealing. I like my stories in the here and now, not necessarily straight realism, but at least a little grounded.  Before you get ahead of me, yes that does also mean I am not a fan of the fantasy genre either.

No need to check the address bar, you are indeed visiting Geek Boy Babbles. So how can I call myself a geek whilst disliking two of the biggest geek genres?

Well I still get overly excited (and exasperated) of things I do love; many of which are rather childish. So I think I fit some of the criteria of a Geek. Also like many things there are exceptions to the rule.

To demonstrate this here is my top Space-set films, TV shows, games and books.

Fortunately the film is more exciting.

Alien, Aliens and Alien Vs. Predator
The first two shouldn't come as a surprise, you wouldn't find many, geek or otherwise, who aren't a fan of those two. Not only are they brilliant sci-fi examples, but also great pieces of cinema. Some of you may be questioning Alien Vs. Predator. I know it hasn't got great story, cannon or cast. But what it does have is some cool action scenes between two giants of the genre. Who doesn't want to see these two fighting inside a giant underground pyramid?

Serenity
I know, surprise, surprise; yet another Joss Whedon film mentioned on Geek Boy Babbles.  I know I have some serious Whedon love, but you have to admit space-western is pretty different. Plus you can't help but admire its production. After Firefly was cancelled the cast and the fan community raised the funds to create a proper finale. It is a love letter to the fans of Firefly who needed closure. 

Mass Effect
No game series has hooked me in as much as Bioware's Mass Effect series. There isn't one game in the trilogy that doesn't meet the others high standards. I even like Mass Effect 3's ending. It could have been more personal to my choices, but logistics of programming games to an individuals game progress would be nigh on impossible.

War of The Worlds
By this I mean H.G. Well's novel and not the film adaptations. Having said this the story takes place on Earth and it isn't the aliens I enjoy. What I love is the narrative style. The story feels very personal and I almost felt like I was making the journey alongside the main character; rather than just an observer.

Image from Robbierocks

Doctor Who
This refers to when David Tennant played the Doctor (and perhaps Smith's first season). I watched Doctor Who  as a child and still hold those seasons as some of my favorite example of TV. They are fun, frantic and full of nostalgia for me. Unfortunately I have fallen out of love with Doctor Who recently. I can't help but cringe and feel it is slightly childish now. I don't blame the writing wholly for this, most of it is probably due to growing up and leaving Doctor Who behind. 

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
I almost forgot this one, remembering only as I edited. I felt ashamed as the books and radio series (not the film, nor the TV show) are some of my favorite pieces of fiction. The series has helped shaped my humour and was a large part of my childhood. The biggest draw perhaps comes from how grounded it is, despite its space setting. Aliens act like parallels to everyday cliches, for example: the bureaucratic Vogon's who are the galaxy's pencil pushers. This is helped by the main character, Arthur Dent, who upon being introduced to a whole galaxy of wonder takes it all in his stride. Aliens destroy my planet, looks like I can't walk the dog pretty much sums up The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. 

Image from Scriptographer

There we have it some examples that I do enjoy some space-set media. I hope I can warrant the title of geek still. That said I still won't be seeing Interstellar at the cinema, but I will watch it when it is on DVD. If a film I am unsure of is so long, I like to know I can get up and have a wander during it.

Please let me know in the comments your thoughts and opinions.

Alien Vs. Predator image from themanwhonevermissed,

My Top Five What To Watch This Halloween

Halloween is one of those festive events that naturally goes hand in tentacle with watching a film. It makes sense, if you can't travel outside, in case of ghost and goblin attack, you may as well stay indoors and drool over the screen.

 It is made all the better when you invite your friends round to share in the horrors you watch. Also if you really are unlucky, and befall a monster, it helps that all you need to do is outrun your nearest and dearest.

In case you are in a quandary as to what to watch this year I thought I would make some suggestions. So, here are my top five films to watch around Halloween.

1. Cabin In The Woods
   I am a self-confessed Joss Whedon worshipper, but that doesn't stop this being an amazing film. It presents itself as your typical horror flick, yet beneath its calm surface is an intelligent commentary on the whole horror genre. A great film that isn't too scary or gore filled, with enough twists and turns to be genuinely entertaining.


2. Sleepy Hollow/ Sweeney Todd/ The Corpse Bride/ Beetlejuice 
   Basically number two is anything made by Tim Burton (if they star both Johnny Depp and Helen Bonna Carter you get extra points). Like Joss Whedon I have a lot of love for the emo of Hollywood and always enjoy a Burton film. All four of these are brilliant films and demonstrate Burton's distinct cinematic direction. This year I will probably choose Beetlejuice as I haven't watched in some years. 'Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice'...


3. The Nightmare Before Christmas/ Coraline 
   Another director who specialises in making the darker side seem simple and innocent is Henry Sellick. A brilliant stop-frame director who created a film that has probably had the biggest influence on me (The Nightmare Before Christmas). Anyone who is confused at this point and thinking I put The Nightmare Before Christmas in the wrong place needs to go stand in the corner with the dunce hat.


4.  Alien/ Aliens
Lets get a classic in this list shall we? Both of these are great horror films from a time when directors, like Ridley Scott and James Cameron, understood tension isn't cheap scare tactics (Sinister, cough... cough...). The tight corridors of Alien create a genuine sense of claustrophobia and the horror flows naturally. Aliens fear draws from overwhelming odds and an objective that is worth protecting. Whilst they may now be showing their age, especially the wind-up beast that flies out of John Hurt, the unease never fades.



5. Ringu
   Readers of my blog will know that I recently watched the Japanese original that inspired The Ring. I fell in love, and disgust, with it instantly. Once again the maker didn't rely on showing the monster, nor cheap jump scares. Instead the director used everything from subtle camera angles, background side effects and cheaper production values to create something truly unnerving. One of the few films that almost got me jumping behind the sofa. To check out my full review see Here.

   

   This sums up my childhood I think...
   Which probably explains a lot.

   
   

That's my full list. What did you think? Do you agree or disagree with my choices?


What are your thoughts, let us know in the comments section below.

Halloween banner from anarchyonstardoll, Tim Burton artwork from fanpop,

Halloween - Practical Magic

It’s October, which can only means one thing: the supermarkets are acting rather schizophrenic right now. Half of the shops shelving is being taken up by Christmas tat (despite the fact that it is about three months away); the other half is still clinging onto a sense of everyday life. The untouched part is worryingly eyeing up what happened to a large portion of the floorplan, dreading when its tinsel-time will come too. Christmas aisles are like a virus, one that we have no hope of stopping before it spreads. Then there is one lonely aisle, perhaps one and a half if its lucky, dedicated to an event that is actually coming rather soon: Halloween.

This yearly cycle always frustrates me, not because of ridiculously early preparation which angers most people. But because of the way Halloween gets overshadowed. Last year, for instance, some shops were pulling down their Halloween stock the week before the 31st of October. In its place stood more Christmas stock, seemingly five other shelves just wasn’t enough.

I love Halloween, perhaps more so than Christmas. There is less pressure to be happy, to see people and generally less expensive; it makes the experience overall more fun. Christmas becomes so hyped with expectations that it can never live up to it. After eagerly opening my advent calendar last year I spent the actual day watching TV like a zombie. I didn’t even like the programmes that were on, nor do I watch TV regularily (for some reason becoming a student actually made me more proactive, clearly an oddity).

Halloween on the over hand, is barely celebrated in the UK and what is celebrated isn’t my take on it. I don’t trick or treat (often), I don’t have a séances board (the Milton Bradley board game that’s fun for the whole family, even great, great, great grandpa Joe) and I am not part of a cult. What I actually do is bake, carve pumpkins, dress up with friends and watch a scary film.

My personal belief of Halloween is similar to the older Pagan views and other festivals like Obon (Japan) and Mexico’s Day of the Dead. Basically I believe if anything does happen on Halloween it is that the spirits come back to our world once again. Not to spook us out of spite, I can’t imagine the dead would make the effort just to troll the living, but to revisit their ancestors. Having said that I am a realist at heart and don’t hold much belief in ghosts anyway.

Last year for my first blog SaxonDaze, I reviewed a ghoulish confectionery item each day for October. For this blog I plan to celebrate by charting the best and worst examples of horror related games, films and books.  The first of this could have begun with a review of PracticalMagic, which Amy (from the Willow Web) and I watched recently. It won’t however, partly because it would be a rant rather than a review. But mostly because it is one of Amy’s favourite films and I really don’t want to be slapped.

I will briefly discuss some of my VALID reasons for disliking the film and I will try to back them up. Firstly I felt it have a few pacing problems. There were moments in the film were time will have moved on in the story with little indication as to how long has passed. It left me rather confused on more than one occasion.

Scenes seem to change at whim, sometimes I thought it changed without fully completing its purpose. Scenes like one where one of the sister visits to comfort the other. One moment they are talking in bed and raising each other’s morale, the next they are back to everyday life. They had about two or three lines of comforting each other, acting rather sombre, before skipping to the next moment where they are laughing and joking. It is a technique that, if handled properly, could be effective. If we know the characters well enough we can assume what may have occurred between them.But I didn't really connect enough with them, I didn't feel like I had time to. Any poignant or character building moments flashed to the next. In my opinion the scenes change a lot without indication of time, purpose or place and felt rather jarring.

I think the main issue is the source material. It is based on a moderately long book and a film with a running time of around 90 minutes can’t hope to do justice. It does devote a lot of time to other scenes, usually ones featuring cheesy nineties pop and cringe worthy family fun. I understand the need for this as the relationship is the films focus and in films it is better to show and not tell. I am not asking for dialogue where characters just say 'Oh what fun we had earlier'. However, had they made it a bit longer they could have avoided the many times in which scenes change without much explanation. It made it seem rather erratic and flighty to me.

Here looking like Mary Poppins with magical powers

My second issue is the male characters, who really lack any personality of their own. They are pretty much stock characters; you have the perfect husband who tragically dies, the dream guy and then the abusive one. None of them say very much and what they do say is rather cliché. Again, I think this comes down to time: the men aren’t really the story and therefore don’t get the screen time to be fleshed .

Also the treatment of the men in the film is rather worrying. Both the perfect husband and dream guy fall in love due to spells cast upon them. They have no choice but to fall in love and possibly die if the sister's curse is to be believed. The main character doesn’t even warn her husband of the curse that befalls men who marry into her family. The other sister isn’t much better and often drugs her partner each night after sex; I’m pretty sure that is illegal in most states. You could say it is refreshing that it is men who are finally getting these poor character profiles, but really that is a poor excuse.

Overall you could say that I wasn’t very taken with Practical Magic. I know the film doesn’t really target me as its audience, but that’s a flimsy excuse. Many may argue that technically it isn’t a horror film and shouldn’t be the beginning of my horror themed posts. On the other hand, from a male perspective, it is a rather chilling tale of men being controlled by the magic surrounding two sisters.

I will now pass over to Amy at the Willow Web, if she would like to respond to my criticism.




Halloween Image from Pics Hunger, Practical Magic image from Daniella's Bureau, Film still from Spooky Things Online

#HeforShe: Strong Female Characters

The big news as of posting is Emma Watson's recent speech to the UN as the ambassador for the #HeforShe campaign. I firmly support this movement and hope it can bring about some fresh change.

I have never called myself a feminist, equalitist yes, but not a feminist. In my head a feminist is someone who wants to flip society and give men a piece of their own patronisation. Since SheforHe I have realised this is an outdated view of feminism. The new wave seeks to not only promote woman's rights to be equal to men, but also to allow men to also be free express themselves.

The movement seeks to break down barriers of how society dictates your gender. I would describe it more, but I fear I would do it a disservice. Instead I will incluede a link to Emma Watson's amazing speech below.

My interest of the movement led me to attending the Winchester University Feminist Society. Where during a round of introductions we had to say our favorite female character. This task has created the inspiration for this post of my top females in fiction (in no particular order).

• Morrigan from Dragon Age: Origins
  Morrigan was my first thoughts when I thought of a female character I admire. When faced with her world's saviour how does she react? With mistrust, sarcasm and disinterest of course. Yet, over time as he/she proves themselves she can, depending on your choices, soften to you. She is a powerful sorceress and becomes your most powerful ally. Then I read this article, specifically point 2. I realised that she does in sleep with the hero as a plot device, this caused me to question whether she is that strong. Then I remembered that, after the ending, she scarpers with the baby. She has her own goal and that child has a use to her. Also if your main character is female she doesn't jump in bed with you, instead she encourages you to for the same dubious purposes. The child is significant to her in both cases, clearly it wasn't just to save you. Added to this there are points when she is rather vulnerable and the walls of sarcasm fall. After all, if your mother raised you solely to prolong her
  own life wouldn't you have trust issues?
  


• Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty/KingdomHearts
  I will admit I haven't seen Sleeping Beauty; and I won't be talking about the latest Maleficent film. Not that she isn't strong in it, she is; especially during the film's darker moments. But when the film tries to soften her villainous intent she gets too sentimental. Maleficent in KingdomHearts is the example I want to mention. Here she leads an army of Heartless (evil shadow creatures), is the head of a league of evil characters (which includes male villains like Hook, Oogy Boogy and Hades) and manages to resurrect herself from the dead. Yes she is beaten in the first game, but she comes back stronger than ever in the second. She is still somewhere in the game's universe, plotting her return. Plus, she turns into one badass dragon, which is a pain to defeat.






• Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas
  
  Sally is trapped physically by her creator/dad, Dr. Finklestein, and emotionally, by her unrequited love for Jack. She escapes both of these on her own, and manages to save Jack from Oogy Boogy and himself. She is strong-willed and street smart despite being a typical sheltered child. Her personality isn't rough and ready; instead she is deeply caring and eager to help those around her.


• Alice from Alice's Adventures In Wonderland (the novel)
  I think if I fell down a hole into a world of nonsense I would have no clue on where to go. It wouldn't take long for me to give in and breakdown. Alice doesn't, instead she plays the mad inhabitants at their own game and succeeds multiple times. Add to this that she is still a child and I feel rather ashamed.
  


• Elizabeth from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
  Elizabeth, or Lisbeth, is a very complex character. With a troubled childhood and a social disorder, she could easily allow herself to be manipulated by society. But she doesn't, even when government agencies and psychopathic individuals try to stop her she fights back. Usually with her own sense of justice which can be rather brutal. She also isn't afraid to connect ties with her love interest, in doing so she asserts her independence. She is a fascinating character due to her amoral attitude towards everyone and everything. She sees no differences between people and only judges on their actions.
  

Honourable mentions:

• Princess Zelda, specifically in Ocarina of Time (Not just a kidnapped princess in another castle!)
• Female Commander Shephard from Mass Effect (Literally can do anything Male Commander Shephard can do)
• Lana Winters from American Horror Story: Asylum

Before I end I want to make you aware that #HeforShe stresses that they also want to promote male rights as well. The right for men to express themselves freely without being judged. For this reason I will follow up this post with examples of male characters who don't adhere to their gender.

I also throw the gauntlet down to fellow blogger Amy Elize at The Willow Web to give her list.

Link for Emma Watson's UN speech.

But I also want to know what you guys think.
Who are your favourite characters who transcend gender?


Let me know below.

Morrigan image from Dragon Age Wikia, Maleficent image from KingdomHeartsfanon, Sally image from Writeups, Alice image from e-reading, Lisbeth image from minkmagic.

Seventh Son

What type of person are you? Let’s do a little test to find out. I want you to imagine that you have just found out a beloved book or series of books is about to be made into a film. Are you type A, who upon hearing this news buries their head into their arms and silently weeps. Type B, who gets super excited exclaiming that you finally get a chance to enter an exciting land. Or are you type C, who reserves judgement until later. Well reader, which are you?

Right now I am quite firmly type A after seeing the second trailer for Seventh Son; the upcoming film 'inspired' by Joseph Delaney's Spook's Apprentice series of books. I put inspired in quotations because after seeing the trailer I can't imagine much inspiration came from the page.

To start with the main character Tom Ward, in the books, is aged twelve in book one. Seventh Son's Tom is played by Ben Barnes, a man aged thirty-three almost three times the age of his character. The same can be said of Tom's love interest Alice, played by Alicia Vikander who is twenty eight. In my mind these casting choices have been made so that the film can target an older age range. An age range that has had enough pandering to, in my opinion. Twilight, Hunger Games, Divergent, The Mortal Instruments and The Host, films whose central characters end up in an teenage angst-fuelled romance. Yes, Tom and Alice have a romance in the books, but at their age it's a subtle one that doesn't match the audience the film makers are targeting. That audience is rather removed from the original book's, which targeted children aged between nine and fourteen. I have to wonder why the makers are shifting the focus of the viewers, especially when this shift dramatically alters the story.

I will give them credit in casting Jeff Bridges as the Spook. He's tall, gangly and sports an impressive beard. He is a great choice for the role and matches the image in my head. The costume he has doesn't quite match. It has the appearance of a knight from the crusades but with a gothic twist: too much chain mail for my liking. Delaney's Spooks wear a long black cloak that leaves them rather fragile and their greatest defence is their knowledge of the dark. In my opinion plates of armour offer little protection from the magic of a witch or the mental torment of a boggart.

This brings me to my next gripe with the film. The book series fits comfortably in the horror genre, it even states on the back 'Not to be read after dark'. I remember when I first read the books feeling slightly uneasy at some of the horror found in its pages. An unease that came from a very psychological place as the story took advantages of very subtle, yet powerful fears. One part that was rather effective came early in the first instalment and young Tom Ward's training. He was tasked with spending a night alone in a cellar haunted by a ghost known for killing those who dwelled within. Before the task begins Tom is briefed on the ghost and the cellar's history, then the candles blown out and we are left alone with Tom in that cellar. Soon thumps and groans are heard from its darkest corner and Tom slowly begins to investigate. The tension created from the approach to the pile of sacks is almost unbearable with great detail made about the slow walk. I won't ruin it for you by detailing his grim discovery; you'll have to read for yourself.

I say this because I can't imagine the scene will be brought to the big screen. From the looks of the trailer subtlety flew out the window when the four-armed monster opened the blinds. It looks like horror isn't the genre the film sits in; instead it looks like a fantasy/adventure film. So, not only does the film want to get in with the tween romance trend, but also wants to ride The Hobbit 's tail-coat too. If the directors don't have enough confidence to allow the film to stand on its own merits why should the viewers?

Talking of The Hobbit, I can't help but think that it 'inspired' the setting of the film. The books are firmly set in England, specifically around Lancaster. It anchored the plot and made it more believable, which when dealing with the horror genre is very important. Freud's work The Uncanny tells us that when what we find familiar is altered it becomes unfamiliar and a sense of unease is created. Think about the view you get every time you open your front door, it's an image that I'm sure is pretty strong in your mind. Now I want you to imagine something that doesn't belong there, for instance a sinister clown, it would unsettle you to say the least, am I right? By changing the setting to something that looks a lot like Middle Earth shatters any familiarity and horror it may have. 

With his cloak on the Spook does look right I must admit.

Lastly, perhaps most tragically, the film appears to mess with the rich lore that the series created. In the trailer spooks are described as being 'noble knights'. Anyone who has even read the first chapter will know this isn't true. Spooks are seen as a blight on society, omens of death and misfortune, they are an unfortunate necessity. If one has to call a spook in then one would hope it leaves soon. They are seen as anything but noble. The books also utilize Celtic folklore and contain creatures and myths from the British Isles. I can't imagine much of these are included and indeed the monsters in the trailer look rather CGI and far removed from ancient.

It is a shame the film seems to deviate so much from the source material, especially when other films have shown it can be done, and done successfully. Harry Potter did it right, J.K Rowling kept a firm grasp on the treatment the films delivered and it paid off. The films are a gift to the fans of the book and a joy for them to watch. Twilight does this too, mainly because the makers had true passion for the books. If Twilight can get it right, then surely anything can, am I right?

I found this map which illustrates the books locations.

As you can tell I'm rather disappointed in how Seventh Son is shaping up. I have a feeling that Delaney signed away the rights to the film and ran with the money. Researching this post reminded me of a film adaptation being made of another of my favourite childhood series, Artemis Fowl. I then looked that up and it seems that the film will cover book one and two, this news sent my head right back into my arms, and I'm not coming out.

What do you think about film adaptations of beloved books, or perhaps the other way around? Let me know in the comments section.

Back cover image from Bookcrossing, Cast image from Comingsoon, Map from Larissabookgirl. 

Guardians of the Galaxy: A Film You Need to See?

Minor spoilers ahead for Guardians of the Galaxy: you have been warned!

Marvel has said, and I hope they are right, that they have a clear plan ahead for their franchises. If rumours are to be believed that plan could stretch right up until 2027. With that in mind they need to have a pretty solid plan, at least more than 12% of a plan; which isn’t really a full plan just a concept for one. You may think I just went onto a random tangent just then, but if you have seen Marvel’s latest film Guardians of the Galaxy you will know I haven’t.

In fact Guardians of the Galaxy (GotG) is a good demonstration of their plans, after all they must have one if they can confidently announce a sequel before its release.  This film is firmly part of their Avengers universe; it builds upon the established and hints not just at the next film, but also Avengers 3 (schedule for roughly 2018).

This could dissuade some newcomers from seeing GotG, but it shouldn’t. Yes, you need a bit of context and need to really have seen at least The Avengers and Thor 2: The Dark World; otherwise you could spend a lot of time wondering what the fuss is about the guy in the throne and the glowing gems. 

However, it could quite easily be watched on its own, as long as you don’t question too much.

Part of this is because the story is rather formulaic: bad guy who wants to destroy everything meets group of unlikely heroes who must learn to work together.  I couldn’t help but feel like I had just paid to see The Avengers all over again.

Many have already compared the two films: considering it’s about strangers teaming up those comparisons are apt. But, like many others I think GotG has something Avengers doesn’t: some truly unique characters. Which is saying something: considering the fact that the guardians have to be explained in a single film.  This film does that expertly, without rushing their introductions either. That is especially true of the character Peter Quill, whose brief flashback scene is touching enough that it has resonates throughout; despite being little more than a pre-qual.

Even Drax whose motivation is little more than wanting revenge is fleshed out enough that we care about him. I liked him the least throughout, and yet loved his quirky-ness. Little touches you don’t notice like how he needed metaphors explained to him built the character subtly. By the end I felt I knew him enough to want to see him reach his goal.

Even promotion posters look similar.

One of my main picks about the film is that it could be rather cliché of a comic book film. It could easily be fight scenes and sparkly effects, which it is, but it is also quite fresh. It balances the well-trodden grounds of group pep talks and the villain still lives with a genuinely funny moment that is usually quite out of the blue. Often these moments are due to one of the characters quirks, which demonstrate how strong the characters are fleshed out.

A mention is definitely needed for another character and that’s the soundtrack. The majority of the songs are taken from early 70’s and shouldn’t fit with the space ships and futuristic settings. Yet, they do and give it a feel that’s both retro and rather comforting.

The weakest point of the film is its villain, who whilst is a clear threat isn’t anything interesting. Much like Thor 2’s baddy, Rhonan and his motivation is barely touched upon.  He could literally be any other insert bad guy here and the film would feel the same.  There hints that he seeks revenge but honestly I couldn’t care, the scenes with him in are the worst as I didn’t care enough to pay attention.

Whilst it is clearly a cog in the Marvel machine I enjoyed Guardians of the Galaxy and its rag tag bunch of characters. Although a week ago I sighed when Marvel announced the sequel I feel refreshed and came away from the theatre anticipating more. 

There are some bits that are bad, some bits that are good, little bit of both (spot the reference): mostly however, its very good.

First image from NukeTheFridge, Avengers image from Marvel, Guardians of the Galaxy promo image from ComingSoon,

San Diego Comic Con 2014

For some the San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) is a big event, and while it does showcase film, TV, comic, game and general media news, I never get too hyped for it. This is partly due to it being such a big event and that so much is announced that I have trouble knowing what's happened. But it is also because whilst I do obsess over media, like any good geek, it is mainly gaming that I strive to stay up to date with.

Regardless of this I do keep an eye out for news that interests me, in this post I thought I would round-up the things that peaked my interest.

More than a few clever cosplayers around.

Films

• Guardians of the Galaxy 2 will be coming to theaters on July 28th 2017, this more annoys me then interests me. How can the sequel have been scheduled before the first has seen release?
• There was a trailer for Avengers:Age of Ultron and apparently it has a very dark tone. I can't wait to catch a glimpse myself as this description of it sounds amazing.
• Horns is an upcoming murder mystery film starring Daniel Radcliffe. He plays a man as a man growing horns (normal?) following his girlfriends disappearance; things get weirder still, as people around him start to act rather odd. I checked out the trailer and think it looks rather promising. Who said Radcliffe would be typecast as a adolescent wizard all his life?

TV

• Constantine after the rather disappointing film a few years ago I'm surprised to see this getting a reboot. But from the trailer it looks good, very supernatural, mysterious and maybe even spooky. After recently being rather disappointed with American Horror Story: Asylum  perhaps I can get my shivers here instead.
• Gotham is something which I have paid very little attention to, which is odd considering I'm a massive Batman fan. I put this down to not being too interested in Batman's early years, let alone anything before he takes upon the mantle. Yet, after watching the new trailer I feel like I perhaps should be paying attention, as it looks like it could be impressive.

Comics

• This surely wasn't a surprise for anyone, the Jokers coming back to Batman comics with Scott Snyder's Endgame story arc. Not yet sure how I feel about this, he may be my favorite character, but his 'death' at the end of Death of the Family felt rather appropriate. I will see when the arc begins in October.
• A comic series will be released as an official sequel to the 1999 film Galaxy Quest. I loved this film and a return to the story is long overdo. Also announced is a crossover between Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Ghostbusters, which I can't even begin to imagine and soon won't have to. (Article about both here)

Games 

• Firefly Online was shown and although not an MMO fan I can't wait for this. I love everything about Firefly except, of course for it's cancellation.

If you think I've missed something, or you have a stand out moment of SDCC then let me know in the comments section.

Cosplay image from GoNintendo.