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Reviews
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
Good but not great
I am Star Trek fan though I would hardly call myself a Trekkie(Trekker?). Regardless, I have a good understanding of the Trek universe, it's principle characters, narratives and locales. This entire film is a giant wink, gun and nod to the entire franchise of Star Trek. It's to the point where the writers have decided that they want the characters in the film to be self aware as actors in a decade long show and movie franchise. There are constant references to Star Trek movies and shows of years past which is a neat touch to those that want to see a film solely based on obscure references. Well, I am NOT one of those people. I want a movie with a plot that makes me care. Better yet, I would settle with one that makes sense. I would like to see villains that are motivated by their own struggles. Their drive should be based in obscurity. The audience should almost agree with their cause but ultimately see that the good guys have a better plan that doesn't involve the end justifying the means. Star Trek Into Darkness has none of that. Those who are evil are too evil. Those who are good are way too good. Star Trek has never been about good vs evil.
On the other hand, the acting was great special effects were fantastic and the humor kept the film fresh. The pacing was also quite good though I was surprised it ended abruptly. Mind you, one can expect this in the second installment of what is obviously going to be a trilogy.
6/10 for lame story, lame bad guys, constant easter eggs, good acting, great special effects, humor.
Dead Space 3 (2013)
Good game but tedious at times
The Good Excellent visuals, setting, sound and game play. I found that the production values of this game were outstanding. I was awed by the atmosphere of every setting the game had to offer and despite there being a marked departure from the traditional style of Dead Space(cramped corridors and less action) I didn't feel like the game suffered from it. Some people have complained that this installment is too action loaded and there is less horror to it. This is untrue; what really happened is that anyone who has played the first two games has become used to the tricks the game employs to elicit scares. The third game in, they become wary and quite cheap which leads to a feeling of being better prepared for what is coming. There are still plenty of dimly lit corridors,odd and terrifying sound effects. Yes, there is more action, bigger and better guns and a lot of ammo available but this far into the story, you can't expect for the game to remain the same. I mean cmon! The world is ending, things are falling apart, the build up in the past two games has come to an apex and obviously action is a result.
The Bad As much as I liked the game, it was tedious at times. There was a lot of backtracking as well as long stretches where all you did was repair things. I know that Isaac is first and foremost, an engineer, but it was beaten to death in the first two games and now it feels tiresome. I actually didn't think the second game had all that much backtracking but the first one did and sadly, the this one shares this trait. Though overall the game play was excellent, the controls were not suited for gun battles with enemies that fired back at you. There was no cover system that worked well and it was frustrating battling it out with human enemies that had firearms. The co-op was good but it did take away from some of the feeling horror and dread but it was a neat way to approach the game the second time around. When you start New Game+ , you can focus on building the most bad-ass weapons and armor and just have a great time in co-op mode blasting away hideous creatures.
Overall, 8.5/10.
Battlestar Galactica (2004)
Brilliant show that is accessible not only to sci-fi fans but to all
Battlestar Galactica is the type of show that one would initially shy away from unless they were your typical sci-fi fan. The amazing thing about BSG is that it steers away from many tropes that have littered typical sci-fi series such as any Star Trek and its spin offs. Without spoiling the plot, the show finds its roots in the characters and not in the setting. There is very little techno-babble which already elevates it to a place where it can be watched by anyone that wants to be entertained by dramatics events, performances and tragedies.
Never once did I really care that the show took place on board various spaceships and alien worlds (I should also note, there are no actual aliens in the series). This show could have taken place in the 16th century , in the middle of the Atlantic ,on board a flotilla of Spanish Galleons and it would still be the same basic premise of a relatively small group of people fighting to survive in an empty void against immeasurable threats; most of which are found in conflicts that they have between each other and not their enemy.
The acting and action are great. Characters are both lovable and at the same time, you will find yourself frustrated with some of them but that to me shows good writing. If the actors were not up to snuff and the writing was poor, you would never get emotionally involved in the series because they would not be believable as people.
Worth a watch for anyone that enjoys quality television.
Executive Decision (1996)
Good watch, suspenseful
I thought this movie was pretty darn good. It had a lot of suspense that lead up to a great final action sequence and decent acting. I think a lot of people are saying that the storyline is somewhat contrived because it deals with Islamic extremism, which by now has been done to death. In 1996, however, it was the "in" thing to do since movies with Soviets were dying down due to the end of the cold war and since it had not been explored as much before that.
In general, the characters are believable but the bad guys are a bit too over the top evil. Maybe I am only saying this because I couldn't actually imagine someone having such an evil plan to destroy the eastern seaboard of the US. But that's just me.
All in all, a good watch and a good example of how the 90s have some of the best action/thriller movies.