The next entry in Marvel Studios’ ever-growing schedule of shows is simply called ‘Echo’ and comes to Disney+ in January.
‘Echo’ stars Alaqua Cox (Marvel’s Hawkeye) as the deaf titular character as she exacts revenge over those who wronged her.
While her first appearance was in ‘Hawkeye’, Echo is a character I am unfamiliar with. But the trailer has intrigued me despite going through a fatigue of the superhero genre. With the number of shows and films that Marvel release now, all with the same mediocre quality, ‘Echo’ looks like a refreshing take on the genre.
The trailer does a great job at not giving away too many plot details but shows fans that this will be a departure from the family friendly media that it’s used to releasing. Just like last year’s special ‘Werewolf by Night’, Marvel have once again taken a risk by making this series more mature and the fight sequences more violent and bloody. ‘Echo’ feels like it’s not trying to push a family friendly influence into a character that might not be family friendly and it’s a decision that I am thankful for.
While I am not familiar with the character, ‘Echo’ is the first Marvel show in a long time to catch my attention. It looks like Marvel are, once again, trying to release more mature shows which is something that I am glad about; not all superheroes are family friendly. Plus, with the titular character being deaf, I’m very curious to know what the sound design will be like. If it’s anything like it is in the trailers, then this will be a very interesting show.
After 8 and a half years, the live action adaptation of ‘Five Nights At Freddys’ is here!
I have followed the game’s journey from the very start, way back in 2014, and have played all the games as well as consumed the books and, of course, the fan theories. But it also means that the journey the film adaptation has taken to get to this point is something I am very familiar with. From its start with Warner Bros. to its transfer to Blumhouse, it’s been a strange and rocky one. And yet, this only increased my excitement as the countdown to the film’s release finally started. But has it been worth it after all this time?
Based on the popular horror game franchise, the film stars Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games, Future Man) as Mike Schmidt, a man who accepts a job as a security night guard at the long-abandoned Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. But the place is discovered to be less than dead as the animatronic characters that inhabit the building will make sure that this is a night to remember.
The story will surely divide fans, but ‘Five Nights At Freddys’ is a fun film that serves as a love letter to the franchise. When adapting certain properties, care has to be taken to both accurately represent it for the fans, as well as making it approachable for newcomers. And, when approaching a game franchise that revolves around complicated story details and lore, sometimes that storytelling has to be simplified to appeal to all audiences. Which, in the case of ‘Five Nights at Freddys’, is exactly what has happened. The adaptation both takes the story of the first game and elements from the 2015 book ‘The Silver Eyes’ to help navigate through its plot, and it works very well. But some changes are made just to keep the fans on their toes. While the changes might seem odd to fans (especially when this franchise likes to reuse names a lot!), they made sense within the film. Plus, with the film having to be within its own universe, the simplified storytelling was the best way to adapt the game, and it worked really well.
The acting and cast were fantastic; Josh Hutcherson was good as Mike and did well to carry the film. He’s someone who has been beaten by life tragedies including the kidnapping of his younger brother, something that he blames himself for. While it’s cliché to have a character like this, it works here and helps further the plot. But his relationship with his sister Abby (Piper Rubio) was what stood out the most. Not only was she important to the story too, but she was fantastic and her relationship with her older brother was convincing. Another standout was Elizabeth Lail (You, Countdown) who plays police officer Vanessa, who is also drawn back to the abandoned pizzeria.
She gives a fantastic and, at times, emotional performance as she continuously returns to the strange restaurant. But she also adds mystery, as she slowly reveals more and more exposition to Mike, that really keeps the viewers guessing her true intentions. And, of course, Matthew Lillard (Scream, Scooby Doo) as the franchise’s villain William Afton. Taking some influence from his horror roots in the 1996 classic ‘Scream’, he is fantastic as someone who starts out seemingly caring, to a terrifying menace once his true intentions are revealed and it is wonderful to see. Being a career counsellor for Mike, he first appears friendly and caring and it’s convincing; there wouldn’t be any doubt that there would be another motive. But the way he switches to who he truly is is incredible to watch, especially when it comes to the reveal sequence. The entire cast was perfectly chosen and fit into their roles beautifully.
But the spotlight should, of course, be shone on the main animatronics: Bonnie the rabbit, Chica the chicken, Foxy the pirate fox and Freddy Fazbear. With the Jim Henson Creature Shop behind the costumes and puppetry of the animatronics, it was always ensured that the portrayal of these characters would be in safe hands. But seeing the four come to life onscreen was amazing. The designs of the characters are completely accurate to the games, and they were perfect. The pizzeria also looks completely accurate to the games as well. And it’s not just the basic decorations or the design of the security office that made this film a treat to see, but also the references…and there are a lot! With the games’ creator Scott Cawthon heavily involved, a lot of care and love has been placed here, to please fans. As a huge fan, seeing the location, animatronics and various references to the games, and even books, come to life on the big screen was truly a treat.
But ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ does suffer some pacing issues that lets the movie down a little. While the third act is consistent, the previous two acts are uneven. However, the slower scenes are used for character development, mainly between Abby and Mike, and Mike and Vanessa. Because Michael hardly has any personality or dialogue in the games, aside from one monologue, the film utilises the time in the middle to develop Mike’s character. While these scenes are necessary and needed for the story, these slower moments should’ve been spread out more to even the pacing.
Despite this, ‘Five Nights At Freddys’ is a fun and enjoyable adaptation. While the film does suffer some pacing issues, the story is written in a way that is easy to follow, making it recognisable to fans but accessible to newcomers. And, while it may not be continuously scary, it does keep up the tension very well and even has some great jumpscares, even if fans know what to expect with the franchise. Overall, ‘Five Nights at Freddys’ was definitely worth the wait and is a fun film as well as a fantastic love letter to the franchise and fans that helped it grow.
‘Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse’, ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ and ‘Nimona’ all show that animation doesn’t just have to be the standard CGI visual style that moviegoers are used to seeing. Animation styles can vary, and the films mentioned are wonderful examples of this. But they were also successful, so Disney have decided to adopt a new animation style for their upcoming film ‘Wish’.
‘Wish’ is set in the city of Rosas, where the King (Chris Pine – Star Trek, Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves) has the ability to grant his citizens’ wishes. But when his daughter Asha (Ariana DeBose – West Side Story, Hamilton) finds out that not every wish is granted, she decides to make her own wish upon a star. With it coming true, the King’s ability is now threatened.
While the film looks to have the familiar Disney magic, there is a few issues with it just from what is seen in the trailer. Firstly, the animation; while the film has gone for a different visual style, Disney hasn’t truly considered the amount of work that goes into the previously mentioned animations. Unfortunately, this means that the animation looks unfinished and appears to have an absence of lighting and shadows within a lot of the shots.
The story also seems very confusing; the threat to the King is created by Asha, yet he appears to be in the right. It makes sense that he chooses which wishes to grant to better the city and its people, and it’s concerning that Asha doesn’t like that. I’m hoping that, by the end of the film, Asha learns this but it’s not clear where the message will go so far.
Overall, Disney’s ‘Wish’ looks to be a confusing mess. While the character designs are pretty, the animation itself is not good and looks unfinished. Plus, the trailer makes the King look like the villain, yet gives him a good argument as to what he’s doing and why. I hope ‘Wish’ has a good coherent story but, so far, I’m not seeing it.
When this year’s horror film ‘Talk To Me’ was released, it immediately became a huge success, both financially and commercially. With this came the reveal that the creators of the Youtube channel RackaRacka were behind it. But they aren’t the only Youtuber releasing a horror film this year.
‘Iron Lung’ is an adaptation of the 2022 game of the same name and is written, directed by and starring Mark Fischbach, a.k.a Markiplier on Youtube. It follows a convict as he explores the blood oceans of a desolate moon in an isolated, damp submarine, which will lead to their freedom.
While the trailer is short, it wastes no time in making its mark in the video game-to-film genre. The trailer is narrated while the main character slowly rises from the ocean of blood that he’ll come to explore. It’s a very striking image that demands your attention, and the narration featured is directly from the game’s opening sequence.
But the sound design and the ambience of the trailer gives viewers an idea of how creepy and mysterious the film will be. While I want the film to be eerie or creepy, it’s the sound design that will, in my opinion, make or break the film. With a setting such as a submarine, it’s extremely difficult to gage someone’s surroundings but then adding in this unfamiliar territory will mean that strange and unknown sounds can be implemented.
The game’s creator David Szymanski is also involved in the film’s development, meaning care and respect for the source material will be taken into consideration. And, with Markiplier’s experience with creating ‘create your own adventure’ films for his own channel, he is very well versed in filmmaking and what goes into it.
So not only am I excited for this, but I also have faith that this will be a fantastic, and creepy, adaptation of the indie game. The question remains though: will this film take the record for the most amount of fake blood used on screen?
Occasions like this have occurred before: a short film or series is released on Youtube and gains popularity to the point that it’s picked up by a film or TV studio. But this particular project is one that has been on my watchlist since the pilot episode was uploaded onto Youtube.
‘Hazbin Hotel’ is an adult animation that started on Youtube. It follows the Princess of Hell, Charlie, as she opens a rehabilitation hotel for demons, with the ultimate goal of reducing the overpopulation of her kingdom.
Since the pilot’s upload in 2019, it has gained over 90 million views and became an inspiration for animation on the video platform. And so, it’s extremely exciting to see a full-length show coming next year. What’s even more exciting is that distribution juggernaut A24 are the ones bringing this to life.
While the voice cast will be different from the original pilot, the animation and characters look just as accurate and gorgeous as its predecessor. Plus, the show will delve more into Charlie’s past and explain why she became so different from the demons in her kingdom. And, if that wasn’t enough, the show has already been greenlit for a second season!
It’s been a long time coming, but I am so excited for ‘Hazbin Hotel’. It’s incredible to see another Youtube channel being given the opportunity to have their project continue on a streaming platform. Plus, A24 have made sure that the animation style doesn’t falter just because it has a bigger budget now. It looks fantastic and I cannot wait to see how the story will continue.
