Category: REVIEWS

The protector of Earthrealm, Lord Raiden (voice of Dave B. Mitchell), must assemble his realm’s greatest fighters to defend it against the aging Shang Tsung, who is looking for another realm to crush.

Here’s something you may not have known about me and you may not even believe it either – I have been playing the Mortal Kombat video games ever since I was about nine or ten years old. It’s crazy to think about that, I know. Ten year old me spent hours on end brutally ripping apart opponent’s limbs and performing fatalities that no child should ever see at a young age. Why did I play it though? Because I had fun, and plus, I knew that none of those things that happened in the game were really. They never really phased me.

With that being said, I am not the biggest Mortal Kombat fan out there either. I greatly enjoy the games, especially last year’s Mortal Kombat 11, but I’m not an expert on the lore of the series or anything like that. But, as great as the games are, even fans of the franchise themselves agree on one thing – the movies are horrible.

The 1997 John R. Leonetti-directed Annihilation is widely considered to be one of the worst video game films of all-time. So going into this new animated film, Scorpion’s Revenge, I truthfully wasn’t sure what my expectations should be. I recognized that it was an animated movie that would probably work out better than a live-action one for this series, but on the other hand, nearly all of the films that have been based on this property have been utterly terrible.

This is why I am so glad to report that Scorpion’s Revenge is not only a terrific film but is certainly the greatest Mortal Kombat film ever made, animated or not. It’s a tight and condensed story of revenge that has all the limb-ripping bloody goodness that fans of the series have come to expect at this point.

Watching Scorpion set out on his path of vengeance felt very real and grounded. We get to witness his backstory which was tragic to say the least. For the first time ever, I genuinely felt terrible for the character. Here, his motivations were crystal clear and it is easy to root for him along the way.

Although the other characters involved in this story get sidelined, it’s okay, because at the end of the day, this movie is supposed to tell Scorpion’s story, and it did so in an exceptionally fantastic way. Unfortunately, there are some subplots that get introduced relatively early on that just didn’t work for me and they felt quite forced. The movie seems like it wants to set up a potential Mortal Kombat animated movie universe which is a fun idea, but I’m not too sure it should have been set up here.

But a ton of people are going to watch this movie in hopes for some chaotic and gruesome fights, and they are in luck because this film genuinely did not hold back on the violence factor. There were several fights in the film that were intense, fast-paced and downright terrifying to watch at times. Each and every scene involving action felt incredibly visceral despite the fact that we are watching mortal characters battle it out. The style of this movie actually reminded me of anime in all the best ways.

By the time the final act and battle comes into play, the movie becomes remarkably entertaining. The rest of the movie was fun, but the third act is where it truly shines. It’s not a film devoid of issues. As I mentioned earlier, there are some subplots that get brought up that just simply don’t work and they feel like they came completely out of left field, and the humor here is a mixed bag. But, worry not. This is an amazing piece of animation entertainment.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge is the best film in the series, animation or otherwise. Its fight scenes are brutal and bloody, and its story is remarkably gripping.

For most people, the Wuxia genre became most prominent in 2000 with Ang Lee’s Academy Award winning adaptation of Wang Dulu’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Since then, filmmakers like Zhang Yimou have blessed us with films like Hero, House of Flying Daggers and Curse of the Golden Flower and Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s The Assassin. 

Besides the wirework and often convoluted plotting, these graceful and poetic forays into balletic martial arts share very little in common with Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain, but that’s no bad thing.

Taking the Saturday morning cartoon approach to mysticism, Zu Warriors is a cacophonous ruckus of laser swords, demons and flailing eyebrows. The first act is a relentless sprint of, “and then, and then”, storytelling that takes no prisoners. It’s certainly a movie that will reward additional viewings as the break-neck pace is a little full-on.

From the opening scene to the ten-minute mark we see Yuen Biao’s Dik Ming-kei being chased by an army, team-up with Sammo Hung’s red army soldier, get caught in a whole other battle and wind up at the titular magic mountain. That’s when director, Tsui Hark takes things up a notch.

Zu Warriors isn’t a historical Wuxia flick like Once Upon a Time in China. Shedding the veil of heightened reality to get to the weird, nutty centre underneath serves this martial arts fantasy incredibly well. The madcap silliness of each new character and scenario is liberally slathered with tongue-in-cheek humour that is executed as rapid-fire as the narrative itself. There’s also horror on this heroic journey.

Despite the wobbly sets and comedy there are stakes. There are characters that the viewer soon adopts who don’t make it to the credits, but the plot hurtles forward, leaving no time for poignant goodbyes.

At its core, Zu Warriors feels like a post-Star Wars, disco-fuelled 80’s fantasy with all the baggage that come with that. The only slight issue comes from the pacing, which suddenly becomes leaden in the rare quiet spots sparsely dotted in the chaos, however, this is a minor concern. This Wuxia fantasy is an absolute blast.

The costumes and set design are bursting with creativity that far exceeds the budget, the model work and effects are cute by today’s standards but effective in the moment, and the monumental sugar rush that cascades over the viewer is unlike anything encountered in more awards-worthy, prestige pictures.

Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain is available now on limited edition Blu-ray from Eureka and it’s a thorough recommend from me!

Robert the Bruce is one of Scotland’s most famous icons in their entire history. Ruling as king for 26 years, Robert the Bruce led the battle that fought off the English and had Scotland’s independence truly recognised by all. In 1995, Mel Gibson directed and starred in Braveheart, the story of William Wallace, Scotland’s first hero and in which Angus Macfayden played Robert the Bruce. Twenty-five years later and Macfayden reprises the role in the story of what brought Robert the Bruce to lead his country and claim victory and freedom in the name of independence.

Picking up not long after the events of Braveheart, Scotland is in turmoil and with no rightful heir to Scotland’s throne, the fight against the English becomes more desperate than ever. After a confrontation with John Comyn (Jarred Harris), Robert flees and is instantly decried as an outlaw, so with both the English and the Scottish all eager to claim the bounty on his head, Robert the Bruce goes into hiding until a kind family takes him in.

Robert the Bruce is clearly a passion project for Angus Macfayden who not only stars, but co-wrote the screenplay and after the huge success of Braveheart it is indeed good to see a true Scot play one of Scotland’s finest heroes. However, for those who are expecting the story to pick up and show exactly what made Robert the Bruce such a great man and what made the Scottish people stand by him to reclaim the independence in the face of the English – they may be waiting a while.

While the movie is indeed about Robert the Bruce, it feels like there has been an attempt at showing what his presence means to his people. This means that the audience are introduced to a family as Robert the Bruce hides in huts and bushes to evade capture. Unfortunately, the attempt at trying to ingratiate the audience with this family is not all that successful as most of them would have wanted to see more of the titular character.

Therefore, when he is found by the family and the majority of them proudly take them in to tend to his wounds, for those unfamiliar with his story they may be wondering why the family’s reaction is so strong and yet so divided.

This leads to the second half of the movie where the family gets to know Robert and vice versa, but yet it still seems that an opportunity has been wasted in the script to show exactly why they would so happily follow the great man into battle.

Robert the Bruce is beautifully shot though, with another location standing in suitably for Scottish landscape, although even then it would have been good to see more variety as even though it snows a lot in Scotland, I wouldn’t imagine there would be so much settled for such a long time.

Robert the Bruce misses so many opportunities and it seems that a lot of that lies in the restraints of the budget. The costumes look wonderful, the Scottish accents are mostly ok and when it comes down to showing what would be the climax, the budget really can’t handle it so it leaves the audience feeling like they were left out of the bigger picture.

10 years from now Britain is in civil war.  Split between loyalists to the newly establish Queen Bear and the extremist group led by Galahad, the newly Arthurian nation is on the brink of civil war. For those in the middle, loneliness, despair and fear rule. The Good Book is the story of one such middle grounder Avalon (Riana Duce) who, in her search for companionship and meaning, is tasked with preserving hope as she hurries to save the soul of a humanity lost to extremism.

The first production of the Leeds People’s Theatre, The Good Book, is community theatre on film. Directed by Brett Chapman and written by James Phillip it stars over 100 citizens of Leeds alongside its three main stars Riana Duce (Avalon), Angus Immie (Geraint) and Katie Eldred (Vivian). Community is at the centre of this film. Community exists in both its production and the content within. The Good Book even shows off the company’s Slung Low roots by featuring the working men’s club The Holbeck from which they now operate.

It’s always great to see community projects realised, and it’s even better when they make something worth watching. The Good Book is good, but it does have limitations. I LOVE a near future dystopian film; especially one that is such a good allegory for the political situation in which countries exist. The Good Book has huge potential and was so so close. All it lacks is a touch of context dialogue. The Arthurian future is never really explained, and there’s no reason or context to why people are acting the way that they do. Maybe we’re not supposed to know, but at least a sign of a major crisis that happened or something come have been threaded in through an extra line hear or there. It just felt a little lacking. Avalon also seems to be using a mobile phone from 1995 that can still record video. I don’t really get why phones would go backwards, but at the same time stay where they were. Maybe production stopped, or government issued phones were created, but it seemed again, lacking context and for that typifies what The Good Book lacked.

Having said all of that, The Good Book also has an incredible amount to give, and delivers on it. For me, whilst a lack of context somewhat diminishes things, it doesn’t take away completely from what they’re trying to create. The sets, the props and the acting are all excellent. They’ve done a lot with the little they have and they’ve managed to create a truly compelling main character and deliver a heartfelt message of hope and reason. Avalon’s lust for change, but fear of the consequences is possibly the most realistic character I’ve seen in the dystopian future. She’s neither out for herself, nor intent on saving others. All she craves is understanding, affection and someone who feels the same confusion she does. She’s not a hero, although it is thrust on her. Unlike several characters we didn’t get to know well enough, she was relatable and felt very 3D. Only Vivian, with her interest in protecting Avalon by encouraging her to take on the Queen’s teachings,, showed any other deep sense personality.

I loved the concept of taking on Arthurian legend to save the country. I loved the rendition of a much changed national anthem before a politically motivated beating in the pub. It was all very Britain First and was a good representation of the idiocy of hating those who don’t agree for no reason other than differing beliefs. Vivian I think said it best, when she suggest Avalon take on her beliefs… so she could be safe.

At 30 minutes, The Good Book is well worth a watch. It captivated me from start to finish, and I truly felt for Avalon by the end despite the lack of context. Community production is always worth keeping alive, and if this is their first feature, I can’t wait to see what else they come up with.

The Good Book is set to be released on the 1^st of May. You can watch the trailer below and checkout behind the scenes footage at www.slunglow.org.   

“Eternal Code” follows a scientist named Bridget (Erika Hoveland,) who is the CEO of a company that makes a scientific breakthrough that could alter the course of human aging.

When she realizes something sinister is going on with the company she agreed to develop the prototype with she wants to call off the deal, this sets off a chain of events that spark kidnappings, murders, and rivalries all to silence Bridget and get the two companies to merge.

Although this premise sounds good in writing, in execution, unfortunately, not so much. Though I give points to the cinematography, by DP Jackson Swan, and attention to detail in the production design, the rest of the film just ends up coming off as a cheap copy of “Self/Less” (2015,) which wasn’t very good either.

There’s too many plates spinning in the air in this film, too many interjecting storylines and subplots that make it hard to follow, all of that coupled with a script laden with some cheesy dialogue and sub-par acting leaves much to be desired. The low, gravely bad guy voices are cliche and tired to the point where most of the acting in this film comes off like side characters from a cancelled 1980’s soap opera.

The sound design is distracting as well as the score, this film was obviously a massive undertaking to produce independently and lacks focus. If the story were to be about Bridget, it needed to be centered around her, the random homeless guy and hooker getting wrapped up into a side-plot that revolves around Bridget’s daughter (Angelina Danielle Cama) was hard to follow and didn’t really make much sense.

All of this being said I do think the filmmaker, Harley Wallen, has talent and probably a cult following. I appreciate the amount of effort that went into this, the production must have been taxing and I know there are groups of people out there that enjoy low-budget action films that don’t take themselves too seriously, in the same vein as there are groups of people who enjoy low-budget horror.

This one simply isn’t for me and I can’t recommend it to anyone who doesn’t frequently watch underground films because you will probably be there, scratching your head, for the entire 1 hour 47 minute duration of the film, and thinking to yourself “this couldn’t even be on Lifetime!” You wouldn’t be wrong, but there are probably some people out there who like this kind of thing. Just not the general population.