Being a big fan of the ‘Saw’ franchise, I will always give similar horror films a chance, and one that appeared a few days ago was the trailer for a Netflix film called ‘Choose or Die’.
‘Choose or Die’ stars Asa Butterfield (Enders Game, Boy in the Striped Pyjamas) as a coder who decides to play an 80’s retro game titled ‘Choose or Die’ with his friend. However, they quickly realize this game breaks reality and their decisions in the game will have dire consequences in their own reality.
Upon reading the synopsis, I figured it would resemble ‘Saw’. And, while it does to a small extent (the use of gore and the idea of choosing between two specific decisions), it shares more similarities with ‘Escape Room’, 2006’s ‘Stay Alive’ and even the Black Mirror interactive film ‘Bandersnatch’. While some of the acting shown in the trailer seems a little lacking, it’s a solid concept and has caught my attention.
The three films mentioned above were ones I really enjoyed too, so I love that another film has decided to take on the cursed video game concept. And some sequences could be really tense as a character would have to make a horrible decision quickly.
‘Choose or Die’ looks like a fantastic concept and I appreciate another film taking on the cursed video game plot. I hope the final film is enjoyable, however it would’ve been nice to see this be another interactive film, like ‘Bandersnatch’, especially considering the plot and concept of this film. But I ultimately choose to watch this when it comes to Netflix.
One of the biggest video game film surprises was definitely ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’. What should’ve been a forgetful film, with a Sonic model that resembled a nightmare, became one of highest grossing video game films ever, grossing over $319million worldwide. It also became a lesson in why listening to fan criticism can be important to a product’s development. After director Jeff Fowler and Paramount Pictures listened to the feedback from the first trailer, the film was delayed for six months to redesign the main hedgehog. The result? A really fun film with a lovable blue hedgehog! But, due to the first film’s success, a sequel was inevitable, and, at the time of writing, ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ is in development.
‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ continues Sonic’s journey as he settles down in Green Hills, U.S with his best friend Tom (James Marsden). But, when the evil Dr Robotnik (Jim Carrey) returns with a new foe, Knuckles the Enchinda (Idris Elba), Sonic is forced to confront him once more and search for the Master Emerald, with a new companion: Miles ‘Tails’ Prowser (Collen O’Shanussy)!
While the first film served as an introduction to a live action Sonic the Hedgehog film, the sequel eases fans into what the games are about. And, just like the first film, ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ is a very entertaining and fun film.
Gone are the days of the strange human-like Sonic that fans were ‘treated’ to in the first trailer for the previous entry. Paramount Pictures have thankfully learnt from their mistakes and not only given fans a truly fantastic film, but the visuals and animation have improved too. The CGI characters look fantastic and the attention to detail on each of the trio is impressive, especially the detailing of the fur. While this quality of CGI is expected in this age of filmmaking, it’s not always delivered, so it’s relieving to see the impressive visuals onscreen here. Especially considering this is a film that is an adaptation of a video game starring a blue speeding hedgehog! There also seems to be different styles of animation being utilized here, e.g.: during a battle scene, Sonic curls into a ball and the sparks that come off him give the impression that the animators have portrayed the sparks in 2D animation rather than 3D. Whether that is the case or not, it looks like it and it gives the characters life and makes their portrayal unique.
The films had a tough challenge of portraying Sonic in a way that was accurate to the games but wasn’t annoying. But both films have managed to find the right balance; the lead hedgehog is charming and adorable, perfectly voiced by Ben Schwartz once more. Giving him an innocent and childlike personality was the best decision made when portraying this iteration of the hedgehog. And he’s charming in this too; despite his last adventure, he clearly has a lot to learn about life on Earth and being responsible with his powers.
And, while he does have a friendship with Tom, a new companion is introduced: Tails aka Miles Prowser. Voiced by Tails veteran Collen O’Shanussy, Tails the two tailed fox was first introduced in an end credit scene of the last film and has come to Earth to help Sonic defeat Dr Robotnik. Tails is my favourite Sonic character, so I was really excited when the end credit scene occurred, and he made his first appearance. And this iteration has not disappointed me; he is fantastic. He carries an innocent personality, just like Sonic in the last film, but is also intelligent and is the one who gives Sonic, and to an extent the audience, the film’s exposition. While the execution could be forced, it isn’t; it fits into the film seamlessly and is delivered quickly so the rest of the plot can continue. If there was anything to critique, it would be that Tails and Sonic don’t get as many scenes together as I would like, but this is a small criticism when compared to the overall film. And the voice acting is great; Collen O’Shanussy has voiced Tails in the games for the past decade, so casting her was an obvious choice and the performance fits in perfectly.
And, if that wasn’t enough, Dr Robotnik escapes the Mushroom Planet, that he was banished to, with the help of Knuckles the Echidna! Voiced by Idris Elba, Knuckles is a well-trained warrior from the same planet as Sonic and vows to stop Sonic and get the Master Emerald, an emerald that gives the owner powers gained purely from their thoughts. Jim Carrey returns to play the scientist and his crazy portrayal is back once again. But, while he’s fantastic once more, it’s Knuckles that steals the limelight from him. Just like Sonic and Tails, Knuckles’ design is completely accurate to the games, and he looks awesome! The voice acting by Idris Elba also gives Knuckles a powerful presence; it’s clear that he’s been trained to be a warrior and the voice acting and animation does a perfect job of executing this. But the film also does a good job at making Knuckles a fish out of water-type character just like Tails. This is their first time coming to Earth, so their understanding of life on this planet is lacking, and that does give the film some great comedic moments. I didn’t expect Knuckles to be my favourite character after this film, but he is; he serves as a great villain and, at times, a great comedic character.
But the biggest aspect I loved about ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ is its unapologetic approach to the plot. Paramount have learnt what happens when they try to make this property grounded in reality and so, with this film, they’ve gone the opposite direction and it works beautifully. The Master Emerald is an emerald that holds amazing powers, Dr Robotnik’s mech robot is completely accurate to the games in its design, and the three furry characters are accurate to the games as well. And, while this approach should be obvious, far too many adaptations have tried to recreate their properties in a realistic fashion and have failed a lot of the time. Therefore, I’m glad ‘Sonic’ didn’t fall into this trap when it easily could’ve done.
However, the film isn’t without its problems and that is the story arc revolving around the human characters Tom and Maddie: this aspect of the film didn’t work and dragged the pacing down a lot. While the reasoning to Tom and his wife Maddie’s (Tika Sumpter) existence is understandable, it felt like the sequel didn’t know what to do with them and so places them in a subplot revolving around a wedding. It didn’t add anything to the film and unfortunately felt like a waste of runtime. This is a shame because I liked these two characters in the first film, and their friendship with Sonic is adorable. But the film didn’t utilize them properly, so their scenes felt jarring compared to the more exciting plot with Tails, Sonic, Knuckles and Dr Robotnik.
However, if you got enjoyment out of the first film, then I would highly recommend ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’. It does a lot with its 2-hour runtime and, for the most part, utilizes it well and I had a smile on my face throughout. Plus, the addition of Tails and Knuckles was a fantastic choice and they’re portrayed perfectly here. Sonic and Tails friendship is wonderful, while Knuckles completely steals the limelight from the ever fantastic Jim Carrey.
If there ever was a pleasantly surprising adaptation, it’s the Sonic films; what started as a meme and a laughingstock amongst fans turned into one of the highest grossing video game adaptations with the announcement of a third film in development. If there was a film to support in mainstream cinemas right now, it’s ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’. And don’t worry; an article on THAT mid credit scene will be arriving soon!
Thanks to COVID-19, a lot of films started seeing delays to their releases; most films found their way to streaming services, like ‘Spongebob: Sponge On The Run’, ‘Mitchells vs The Machines’ and ‘Mulan’ while others had to wait for the cinemas to reopen, e.g.: ‘James Bond in No Time To Die’. One of the films belonging to the latter is ‘Top Gun: Maverick’
‘Top Gun: Maverick’ sees Tom Cruise reprise the role of Maverick thirty-six years after the original film was released. This time, he is to become the teacher as he mentors a new team of Navy recruits in his own unique way.
While I was never a fan of the original, it’s hard to deny my excitement and interest for the long-awaited sequel. Originally slated for a summer 2020 release, the first trailer was visually impressive. Cinematography and the way in which a film looks has come a long way since the original, and the footage from the first trailer proves that. The full-length trailer that was released yesterday is no exception. While the characters and story don’t hold a personal interest at the moment, it’s the actual aviation footage that piques my interest. And, with the added detail that Tom Cruise does all his own stunts, the flying stunts done within this trailer is incredible.
While I was never a fan of the original, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ has caught my attention purely because of the aviation footage that is captured within the 2-and-a-half-minute trailer. It looks incredible and the way in which the footage was shot demonstrates the improvements in film technology as well as the way in which films look nowadays. And, even if I don’t plan a cinema trip for this, I hope it does well purely due to the long wait that it’s had to get to cinemas.
Back in November, I wrote a ‘Trailer Talk’ piece on the 2021 Disney+ Day. The online event was a chance for Disney+ to reveal future projects that would be coming to the streaming platform. Amongst the various Marvel titles was Ms. Marvel. At the time, this title especially held my interest; it would be a female led series, but it will also mark the first Muslim/Pakistani superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
‘Ms. Marvel’ follows Kamala Khan (newcomer Iman Vellani) as she comes to terms with an uncertain future, school, boys…oh and superpowers.
So far, Marvel have done fantastically when it comes to their shows and this is yet another Marvel show that I am really looking forward to, despite not knowing anything about Ms Marvel. The aesthetic of the trailer resembles that of ‘Scott Pilgrim vs The World’, a film that I loved; if the show carries this visual style, then it would fit in comfortably. Iman Vellani also seems very comfortable in her first lead role as superhero/Captain Marvel fan Kamala. She plays the nerdy but charming character perfectly.
It also looks to be targeting a younger audience, something that can be seen working with this property. Overall, I have another Marvel show to add to my Disney+ watch list.
‘Ms. Marvel’ is another Marvel show that has caught my interest, despite my lack of knowledge of the source material. The acting and visuals looks great, and it carries an interesting and down-to-earth premise compared to previous Marvel properties that has been given to fans so far.
After a new film trilogy, prequel and numerous spin-off series on Disney+, it seems that Disney isn’t quite done with Star Wars just yet. But this particular series had been riddled with problems since 2019 and that is the solo Obi Wan Kenobi series. The series sees Ewan McGregor reprise the iconic role and chronicles his journey after ‘Revenge of the Sith’ up until ‘A New Hope’.
After ‘Mandalorian’ was released, I had hope that the Star Wars brand was expanding past characters that fans have come to know and love; the setting of space is huge and has the capacity to introduce millions of different planets and civilizations into the medium. But the ‘Boba Fett’ solo show and now this tells me otherwise. It’s a little tiring thinking Star Wars has grown past the same main characters to then return to them numerous times.
However, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued by this show. Ewan McGregor is a fantastic actor and, while reviews on the prequel trilogy are mixed, he was great in those films as a young Obi Wan Kenobi. Therefore, I’m very interested to see him return to this role. And, while I don’t feel this is a story that necessarily needs to be told, it looks incredible, and it’s been in production for a few years. So, I hope Star Wars fans enjoy it.
While I have grown tired of Star Wars returning to the same characters over and over, I can’t deny that I am a little interested in ‘Obi Wan Kenobi’. The visuals look fantastic as always and Ewan McGregor is a great actor who will, undoubtfully, pull off a brilliant performance once again.
Despite everything that’s been said, if Disney are going to start revisiting iconic characters, is there any chance we can get a Darth Maul series?
