Rorschach Reviews Y5: In the Thick of It

[4815162342]

Just now, cookie said:

TFW it's been 30 minutes and Rory's said nothing

 

Especially when you know where he probably is in the story

 

 

 

[Ezen Baklattan]

Spoiler

Am I the only one who got mother! vibes from the third act?

 

[4815162342]

Just now, Spaghetti said:

  Hide contents

Am I the only one who got mother! vibes from the third act?

 

 

can't get vibes for something I haven't seen

[Ezen Baklattan]

Just now, 4815162342 said:

 

can't get vibes for something I haven't seen

At this point I can't say it's something you NEED to see. 

[cookie]

1 minute ago, Spaghetti said:

  Hide contents

Am I the only one who got mother! vibes from the third act?

 

I... don't see the comparison.

[Ezen Baklattan]

2 minutes ago, cookie said:

I... don't see the comparison.

Mainly just the whole vibe of "OH FUCK OH SHIT THIS GOT MESSED UP SO QUICKLY"

[Rorschach]

 

[Rorschach]

So the climax of this film is basically a hybrid between Odyssey 2 and 3.

 

[Rorschach]

Okay I guess Ares is a mix of King K. Rool, King Kong, and Smaug now.

[Rorschach]

Quote

“Former lovers back together! Classic ending!”, he sarcastically congratulates them. “This would be the part where the audience would stand up and cheer. Unfortunately, this is not a story with a happy ending.”

[4815162342]

1 minute ago, Rorschach said:

 

[cookie]

3 minutes ago, Rorschach said:

Okay I guess Ares is a mix of King K. Rool, King Kong, and Smaug now.

I always imagined Ares phasing through the floor when he first appears to be a bit like this tbh

 

[YM!]

I always pictured Ares as a more beastly Smaug.

[Rorschach]

...well, this really isn't all that surprising.

[cookie]

1 minute ago, Rorschach said:

...well, this really isn't all that surprising.

If you mean what I think you mean... it's kinda telegraphed by necessity.

[Rorschach]

Quote

(Inspiration, credit to Rorschach for bringing this song to my attention)

[Rorschach]

Sorry for keeping you waiting @cookie. I'm not really not a fast typer when I'm trying to think things through.

 

The Scavenger Wars Part II

 

Ambitious definitely is the right word to describe this film. It builds upon the foundation that the first film laid in bigger, in terms of scope, themes, character development, the revelations it drops on you, and yes, jumping from its PG-13 beginnings with the first film to an R rating ala Homecoming style was definitely a sign that nothing was gonna be held back in this film (like at all 😂). So does it exceed in surpassing the first film in quality.

 

Well, the jump isn't huge, but I'm very confident in my answer that this is better than the first film. 

 

The film does such an exceedingly great job with its characters. Goddess MEW, who receives much more of a protagonist role in the film after feeling somewhat underutilized in the first film, is an enjoyable cynical delight and every moment she was on-screen made me so happy. Letitia Wright as Tamara is great as always, showing off a much more somber range of emotions here as she deals with the political turmoil facing the Khougan civilization while also dealing with significant grief on the side, definitely the most the sympathetic character in the entire film. Among the new characters, Sunn is definitely the big standout of the bunch, starting off meek and child-like but eventually evolving into what I can only describe as this game years most badass character moment by far. Jarek and Ares are pretty great villains, with the former being a great love-to-hate-this-asshole character and the latter being yet another chilling mo-cap performance from the always great Andy Serkis. Sean Bean and Kenneth Branagh also turn in some great supporting performances as well.

 

It does take awhile for the film to get going at first, setting up many things up in the first half that really come into play in the films fiery second half. At a certain point, I wasn't too sure where the film was going as it seemed just a little too much on focusing on a lot of different elements that I was a bit unsure if it was all going to tie together at some point, which it does exceedingly well when we do get to that point. As a result, some of the characters do feel a bit undercooked compared to others. Sal and Luna both end up getting a bit of the short end on this end, though for different reasons. Sal ends up being kind of unlikable, even before the ending twist with her character comes around, which really did nothing to help in that regard. Luna, while certainly a good character, doesn't really get much time to shine compared to a lot of the other characters and unfortunately gets shoved to the side in the larger scope of things, acting more as a plot device than really being a fleshed out character.

 

Still, the film is still enthralling enough that it manages to make some of its lesser aspects shrink into the background as the characters are so damn likable and the world they inhabit is just so damn interesting. Like the first film, its scope and ambition know no bounds and it is thrilling to watch unfold on-screen, especially in the film's final third which becomes a hybrid of Odyssey 2/3 where the film switches back and forth between the carnage happening on land and in space. It's truly a spectacle to witness, as is the rest of the film honestly. And for thatm its more than enough to push it just slightly over the first film for me.

 

Spoiler

A-

 

[Rorschach]

@4815162342 Sylvarius will be reviewed tomorrow. 

[Rorschach]

Sylvarius 

 

This definitely feels like something Studio Ghibli probably would've made back in the day. From its aesthetics to its message of environmentalism in regards to the balance between nature and technology, it feels like a mix of Castle in the Sky/Princess Mononoke mixed in with some more fantasy elements akin to the Grim fairy tales. All of these combine to make a fairly brisk, entertaining animated film. I'm, very much a sucker for adventure films and this hit the right spot for me. With a cool cast of characters utilizing a lot of veteran voice actors (definitely a big plus in my book) and a fairly interesting fantasy world that inducts a lot real life elements into its aesthetic, Sylvarius is definitely a fun fantasy film while also weaving in a well thought out message about environmentalism into its narrative in a way that doesn't feel forced or contrived.

 

A-

[Rorschach]

Here is a ranking of all the requested films:

 

1. Two Lonely Bounty Hunters - A

2. The Scavenger Wars Part II - A-

3. The Epsilon Syndicate: Union of Thieves - A-

4. Sylvarius - A-

5. The Rich and Famous - A-/B+

6. Olive the Other Reindeer - B+

7. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl - B+

8. O, Maestro! - B+

9. Medusa - B/B+

10. Yin - B

11. Scooby-Doo: Apocalypse - B-

12. Splatoon - B/B-

13. Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters - B-

14. Life of Galileo - C+

15. He-Man III: The Horror of Hordak - B-/C+

16. Hostel: Bloodline - D

 

I'll be going dark from here. My Top 25 should be done and ready by the end of this week. I'll post the grades for all the other non-requested films after the list is complete.

Edited March 25, 2019 by Rorschach