Entertainment and Gaming Reviews

Spider Man 2 Review

A Spectacular Sequel.

*Story Spoilers will be discussed*

Story Review

Spider Man 2 may be the perfect sequel to an already phenomenal original title. The game opens up showing Peter teaching at Brooklyn Visions Academy – the same class as Miles. Suddenly an attack on the city emerges that requires both Spider-Men’s attention. The pair are required to leave class to take down Flint Marko – The Sandman. this opening sequence introduces the player to the theme of the game’s narrative, balance.

The first game had a focus on loss, with the death of Aunt May, Martin Li’s loss of parents, leading to his attacks on New York. This was the continuing theme throughout the first game, showing how loss affects different people, for some it inspires acts of heroism, while for others it inspires acts of vengeance. The natural progression of themes between games provides an interesting character arc for both heroes, a teaching of the different principles required for the difficult role.

As the game continues this theme of balance becomes prevalent throughout the majority of different story arcs. Peter is struggling to balance both his professional aspirations and relationship with MJ with the burden of being Spider Man, as is Miles in relation to his college applications. Mary-Jane is struggling to balance her need to only publish the truth with the Daily Bugle’s desire to only post manipulations of the truth. Every character needs to find some sort of balance in their lives to juggle the different roles and goals of their life.

Enter, Kraven the Hunter. The way insonmiac approached Kraven was very interesting, and provided more depth for what is often a one note character in the comics. Kraven has been diagnosed with cancer – as we learn from the different audio cues after each Hunter Base (Secret Warehouses Kraven has set up throughout the city). Kraven wishes to die by his family mantra, at the hand of a more powerful foe/predator, partaking in the great hunt once more wishing for someone more powerful to kill him rather than his own body.

The discovery of Kraven’s backstory is more distributed throughout the different collectibles of the game. Hunter Bases reveal his diagnoses, Unidentified Objects reveal his family lineage, these intentional spatterings of his back story help to provide for an immersive world building experience within the game.

As the story progresses, asa teased in the previous game, Harry Osborn returns after his illness has been seemingly “cured”. This leads to some fantastic missions involving Peter and Harry revisiting their old high school, remembering their goals to heal the world as children, an aspiration that was seemingly lost due to the responsibilities of being Spider Man. This story arc yet again lends itself to the theme of Balance.

The continuation of this theme throughout the story brings a powerful message to the narrative, no matter how many people Peter saves he will always be more of Spider Man than Peter Parker. He still hasn’t been able to fully process the death of Aunt May as the longer his life progresses the less of Peter Parker remains.

This is the internal promise that the symbiote suit presents to Peter, a promise of balance – yet it is simply a facade, but under the influence of the symbiote, and a desperation to be able to live both lives – Peter believes it. After a mission hunting down Kraven, leading to a fatal stab wound, Peter lays on the floor close to death. In his last moments, the symbiote suit moves from Harry to Peter – choosing him as it’s new host.

This lends itself into the third act of the game. With Peter now empowered thanks to the symbiote suit, he believes that he can finally stop Kraven – catch the lizard (which Kraven set loose as part of the great hunt) and continue living his life as Peter Parker. Yet without the symbiote suit, Harry’s illness returns and he begins slowly dying.

After Peter has become too engrossed by the symbiote and begins losing the values that made him Spider Man, and after an incredible boss fight with Kraven, Miles returns to try and bring sense to Peter – after another boss fight between Miles and Peter, he finally breaks free of the grasp of the symbiote – yet he is presented with a difficult choice, knowing the effects of the suit and how it wishes to purge with its host, does he return the suit to harry, or destroy it as it should be, yet leaving his friend to die.

After being lured to Dr. Connor’s lab by a desperate Harry, the choice becomes lost as the symbiote breaks free of its containment and binds itself to Harry – creating the villain we’ve all come to know and love – venom.

The story of Spider-Man 2 doesn’t have the emotional punch of the original, yet it has interesting attributes of its own right. The consistent theme of balance brings for an interesting insight into the life of a hero. The story has plenty of surprises in store for players, especially in it’s action packed final act, and retains its ability to tell a meaningful story.

Gameplay

As discussed in a previous post, the gameplay of the game is an astonishing advancement of the first game. The web swinging has been radically extended upon, leaving the player to feel more in control of Spider Man. The set pieces are massive, the game’s performance and optimization is without issue (at least for me).

The stand out of the game though were its boss fights. Throughout the game you endure boss fights from, Venom, Kraven, Wraith, Scream, Sandman and more. Every single one of these boss fights feels individual, with every villain having different moves, attack styles, and levels of aggression. Kraven will often hide in the trees and shoot at you with a blow dart, while Scream is hyper aggressive lunging at you or attacking you with her hair.

These individualised boss fights lend the player a neccessity to adapt their play style for the differences in attack patterns – a radical difference from the first game that had an excessive amount of quick time events.

The different collectibles in the game are also extremely fun and satsifying as usual, with the completion of every collectible leading towards some amazing world building, a tease for the third game, or a fun cameo as is Miguel from Across the Spiderverse after the collection of all 42 spider bots.

Overall Consensus

Spider Man 2 delivers and extends upon everything that made the first game great. It’s prevailing narratives themes provide another deep and meaningful story that Insomniac are becoming known for. If you enjoyed the first game, this one is another love letter to Spider Man fans.

Spider-Man 2 Initial Thoughts

A spectacular follow-up

I’m about 20 hours deep into Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and so far its been a great experience. I’ve yet to finish the game, as I keep getting sidetracked, but I do want to lightly talk about it before I give a review in a few weeks.

‘No Story Spoilers’ will be discussed below. As I’ve yet to finish it, I’ll be discussing my thoughts on the story at a later date.

The magic of the first game was held in a few different aspects, the fluid web swinging, developed combat, and the heart of the story. All of these points have been thoroughly expanded upon to provide a more in depth experience. So let’s start with the web swinging.

In the first game, you had web swinging, point launch, and web zip. These were the main hallmarks of swinging, and it was fantastic. You still have all of these, but Insomniac has provided a more tuned web swinging experience that brings enough new aspects to the table, that instead of pressing R2, there’s a system to master. Now you can do a few more tricks, with the first being this ability that lets you zip around corners while swinging – kind of like the spider man equivalent of drifting. On top of this, as seen in the trailers you can now attach your webs to two different surfaces, and catapult yourself gaining massive amounts of momentum.

The biggest game changer though, are the web wings. These things are absolutely incredible, allowing you to zip through the skyline at astronomical speeds. All of these additions leave the user with an incredibly fluid, intuitive, and smooth web swinging experience, with the ability to chain different aerial maneuvers together, feeling more in control of Spidey.

On a technical level the game is a masterpiece, and once you play it, it’s easy to understand why it is exclusive to PS5 and not playable on the PS4. The rate at which the city is generated is absolutely incredible. While in game, I went over to Oscorp tower. Once on top you can see the entirety of the map, its breath taking. This increased power of the PS5 also allowed Insomniac to speed up web swinging, now allowing you to travel at mind boggling speeds.

As stated the game is a masterclass on optimization and performance. The ability to switch seamlessly between Miles and Peter in a matter of milliseconds is absolutely incredible. That’s not even the biggest achievement of the technical aspect of the game, the winner of that is the fast travel ability. As you progress through each district, you unlock district rewards, with the second tier of those rewards being fast travel. Unlock most other games, the fast travel isn’t restricted to certain points of the map – for example synchronized viewpoints in Assassin’s Creed, you can fast travel anywhere on the map. It doesn’t end there either, to fast travel you can pick any point on the map that you wish to go, then instantly the map will transition down from bird’s eye view, into the exact point of the world you traveled to, and miles or peter will be swinging through the city. This, I shit you not, happens in a matter of milliseconds.

Without discussing too much on the story – as I’d prefer to save all of that for an official review, the set pieces of the game are massive. Spider Man 1 may have had a more emotional story so far, but Spider Man 2 has an insanely higher amount of incredible action set pieces and missions. The second you begin the game, starting with an incredible boss fight from an iconic villain, it’s full throttle.

On every level Spider-Man 2 is a masterclass on how to develop and release a triple A game in a finished, polished, and complete state. Insomniac are now embedding themselves as the kings of the gaming industry. If you buy a single game this year, buy Spider-Man 2.

Killers of the Flower Moon Review

A Flawed, yet powerful and ambitious film.

Lily Gladstone and Leonardo DiCaprio as Ernest and Molly Burkhart

Killers of the Flower Moon succeeds where so many other crime drama’s fail, it has a powerful story alongside the brutality of the genre. The film from start to finish is an enthralling, addictive, and at times emotional experience (which for a movie that is close to 4 hours long is quite the achievement). Both Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio give what in my opinion are career best performances, with the only other contender possibly being ‘The Wolf of Wall Street”. DiCaprio doesn’t just act a role in this film, he becomes the role. That is one of the strongest assets of this film, the performances aid the runtime, and vice versa, by the end of the film you no longer feel as though you are watching another Leonardo DiCaprio film, but instead wrapped up in the story of Molly and Ernest Burkhart.

Lily Gladstone, although I’ve never seen any other film with her featured in it, gives a great performance, and after watching the film I totally understand the buzz that is surrounding her. Gladstone’s portrayal of Molly Burkhart isn’t the helpless native that gets manipulated by the white man, nor the independent strong woman with no flaws what so ever. Instead it is this very nuanced and subtle performance of a woman that is watching her entire bloodline get murdered, while understanding that she is coming to the end of her days due to illness. He performance is so nuanced, that instead of the stereotypical native roles you usually see, instead you witness a strong and resilient woman, who allows herself to feel emotion, but doesn’t let it become her. She allows herself to be comforted, but can also protect herself. A woman who understands the advantageous role the white men have in their society, but instead of retreating finds serenity in her tribe.

The length of the film may be a deterrent for some viewers as sitting down to watch a close to 4 hour movie is no easy task, yet when you are engaged in the film the runtime does not feel as gargantuan as it appears. The movie is paced so incredibly well that almost every scene provides you with an interesting plot point, or a character moment/line that adds to the dynamic. The world building in the film is also masterfully done. The sets, the costumes, set pieces, all of this help to develop not only the white world, but the different rituals/passages of the Osage people and other tribes.

The issue that I had with this film, and we will get into spoilers for the ending of the film here, is the climax – or lack of. Obviously this film didn’t, and never would have called for an explosive action packed final act, it is a very character driven film, I’m referring more to the explanations of the outcomes of the characters. Instead of seeing it occur naturally, as the rest of the story had been presented to us, the film fades out with a shot of Ernest watching his wife, Molly walk away after it had been revealed that he was poisoning her with Insulin in a plot to get her money. We don’t continue to see the trial, nor the sentencing, instead the shot fades to black and cuts to a radio presenter, from the 50’s, saying something along the lines of “That concludes the story”, and then reads off what happened to each character as he talked to the audience.

This sudden cut felt so out of place in a film that had been building up for the last three and a half hours, that it almost left a sour taste in my mouth. Was it quirky and original? Yes. Did it fit the movie? No, not on any level. You could of instead had an epilogue in the same amount of time showing the consequences of the murders, instead of a random new presenter from a period after the events of the movie.

That though is my only issue with the film, and although it did leave a bad taste in my mouth, after sleeping on it, and giving the film some thought, I’m able to look past it. Killers of the Flower Moon is a long movie, but it has enough heart, a powerful story, and incredibly strong performances that instead make the run time feel good. I would recommend everyone give it a watch – maybe just start the film before 8pm.

The Best Films I’ve watched in 2023

Making my way through my Letterboxd Watchlist

2023 has been a really fun year in film for me. I’ve finally gotten around to clearing out my Letterboxd watch list, and in the process discovered some films I wish I had watched sooner. The films on this list are not exclusive to 2023 releases, but my favorite movies that I watched in 2023.

Oppenheimer – Christopher Nolan

Oppenheimer is a masterful achievement in film making – led by the always evolving Christopher Nolan. The film opens exploring the two different story lines Fission and Fusion, one of which begins during Oppenheimer’s sleepless nights as a failing experimental science student, and the other later in his life after the events of the Manhattan Project.

These converging timelines lead towards the earlier moments in the film becoming somewhat confusing, though this does not continue throughout the entirety off the film as it does with ‘Tenet’, instead giving the viewer time to catch up and enthrall themselves in the film.

Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in OPPENHEIMER, written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.

Cillian Murphy absolutely crushes the role of J. Robert Oppenheimer, nailing his mannerisms, speech patterns, and demeanor. The surprise performance of this film though? Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss.

If the movie wasn’t already incredible enough, Nolan obviously connects with the general audience as this three hour long biopic made close to $1 Billion at the box office.

2. Dazed and Confused – Richard Linklater

Dazed and Confused is a perfect film for anyone who enjoys watching fun and relatable characters interact with each other and engage in some banter over a compelling narrative. As with so many Linklater films, Dazed and Confused takes place in a single 24 hour period, as the school year ends, Freshman, Seniors, Jocks, Stoners, each and every personality type of the High School environment, head towards a party, while dealing with the pressure of the unknown future.

This technique of 24 hour period storytelling used by Linklater really makes you feel as though you are peeking into the lives of these strangers, and getting to know them, rather than with other films watching their lives go by within the context of the story.

The profundity of the script is also one that speaks to almost every teenager transitioning into adulthood, with different questions being addressed that revolve around the themes of success, self worth, and identity. The discovery of identity is a concept that all teenagers think they have already achieved within their youthful ego, yet as we all entered our twenties, thirties, we discovered that we’re only just discovering who we are on an intimate level, is this because of a newfound insight into yourself, or is it due to the personal growth/heightened maturity we find as we get older. These are all questions that Dazed and Confused asks the viewer through its brilliant script, yet it’s done so subtly that it doesn’t try to suffocate you in philosophy.

3. Frances Ha – Noah Baumbach

You see the stereotypical story of young person tries to make it in the big city all the time – to so much of an extent that it could be considered its own genre of film. Yet Frances Ha approaches this story from a different perspective, telling the story of Frances, an aspiring dancer, who is forced to move apartments after her best friend moves in with her boyfriend.

The film perfectly details the emotions of watching all your friends around you grow up and find success, while you are still left chasing your dream, wondering each day if its becoming unachievable.

As the film progresses we meet different characters, friends of Frances, who are in different stages of their lives, Lev and Benji (Played by Adam Driver and Michael Zegen) are sons of wealthy New York parents, who without the worry of financial bankruptcy are able to pursue their dreams with ease, patiently waiting for their moment. Rachel is part of the main dancing group, from a circle of friends who have reached a point in their lives where they can take trips to Paris, and enjoy expensive wine.

Then there’s Frances, still struggling to achieve her dream of professional dancing, finding her niche within the industry, and a way to retain her personality in a world that keeps putting her down.

All of Baumbach’s films always feel so real, akin to Linklater, as if we are taking a peek inside the lives of these characters. Yet the script also feels so inspired from the same place of desperation, this sense of reality, as if we are learning about the experiences of Baumbach’s life and career through the eyes of fictional characters.

4. Pearl – Ti West

Pearl isn’t a perfect film, but my god is it ambitious. A prequel to 2022’s “X”, Pearl tells the story of its titular character. The film aesthetically is ripe with color, emulating the technicolor trend of the period the movie is set in. The sky box is designed to look painted – whether it was a practical effect or visual effect, i do not know, the palette of the film is over exposed, leaving for a joyous sight for the eyes.

The score of the film is also brilliantly in line with movies of the technicolor era, providing a fully orchestrated score. These visual and auditory aesthetics are completely opposite to the contents of the film, with the plot essentially being a slasher film. Though this dichotomy isn’t jarring and both the visual flair, and dark story line actually complement each other and provide for a more distinct and meaningful viewing experience.

Mia Goth continues her winning streak of distinct and meaningful performances with the character of Pearl, slowly transitioning from innocent farm girl, to emotionally unstable psychotic killer.

If MaXXXine – the follow up to ‘X’ is a hit then I may have a new favorite horror trilogy.

5. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters – Paul Schrader.

A beautiful insight into the inspiring life of Yukio Mishima this film has many triumphs. The editing of the movie is playfully done with multiple storyline’s/timelines of information being told at once, though never wavering into the realm of confusion. The sequences telling of Mishima’s novels are delightfully crafted to a mesmerizing aesthetic engaging in a visually pleasing medium of storytelling.

The use of theater based effects in the film help engage the themes and emotions especially in a particular sequence during the telling of Kyoko’s house.

The film explores the influences on Mishima’s books leading to his desire to restore imperialism within Japan in an attempt to retain its culture. These explorations are masterfully crafted to provide an emotional and engaging insight into the infamous author.

Especially the tie-in of the narrative of Runaway Horses into the real life event of Yukio Mishima and his militia holding up the Japanese garrison. The film leaves an emotional impact and retains its right as one of the most important pieces of cinema about one of the most important authors to ever live.

Thanks, for more you can visit my Letterboxd – https://letterboxd.com/angusross233/

Bottoms Review

Emma Seligmon delivers a hilarious comedy fuelled by brilliant performances

What a breath of fresh air? Emma Seligmon follows up ‘Shiva Baby’ with what is possibly the best film of the year (I’ve yet to see Killers of the Flower Moon and Poor Things). Bottoms from start to finish is a hilarious trip in what I can best describe as Lesbian High School Fight Club.

Rachel Sennott continues her streak of up and coming Hollywood superstar with her comedic performance, alongside the equally funny Ayo Edebri. The pair bounce incredibly well off of each other, establishing themselves as a comedy duo to be reckoned with.

The movie knows what it is, and doesn’t at any point try to mask the ridiculousness of the plot, with the final act becoming incredibly self aware to a hilarious extent. Yet, the story it tells is incredibly personal and grounded, and it totally works.

This may be my favourite film of the year, knocking Oppenheimer out, and it beckons the question, are comedies returning? After The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent earlier this year, alongside the unforgettable Barbie, comedy may be returning to form.

As much love as I have for Will Ferrell and other comedy icons of the 2000s-2010s they seem to be lacking the same spark that brought such fun to films like Step Brothers, with the edgy humour no longer hitting like it did (Strays is a prime example), it seems there is a shift in our culture to a more absurdist approach to comedy. This shift has seemed to provide a more enjoyable experience in a landscape that became quickly saturated.

If you haven’t seen this film, I implore you, grab a few drinks, a few friends, and buckle in for a great time.

Blue Beetle Review

An uninspired popcorn flick that hits all the usual beats.

Within Blue Beetle there is a lot of fun to be had. The film is led by a magnetic performance by Xolo Marideuna that leaks charisma. An enjoyable family oriented approach that tries to brings a bit of heart to the film, and a fairly well paced movie.

The issue with the movie that brings it down is how often the script relies on the cliches of an already saturated genre of film. From a narrative perspective there is next to nothing unique to this film alone.

Even though the theme of the movie is family, it doesn’t really develop any of the characters outside of a few one liners, which makes it hard to fully connect to certain points in the film.

The title card of the film has its own distinct visual flair, which got me quite excited by the possibility of distinguishing this from other superhero movies, yet I found myself drawing comparisons between the boring palette of Civil War, and the uninspired cinematography of this film.

If you’re looking for a mindless film to put on and just have a bit of fun, this will have you covered. Unfortunately the script and direction leave a lot to be desired.

Assassins Creed: Mirage

An old school experience tailored towards a more casual gamer.

Assassins Creed: Mirage is a fun time.

In respects to gameplay it’s very refreshing to have an old school game that doesn’t require hours of learning and practise to understand, simply allowing a jump straight in approach.

The story was also quite engaging, though not the most original, it nonetheless entertained me. A common complaint I’m hearing about this game is due to its length, and although it was indeed short (only taking me about 25 hours to platinum), I honestly had a great time being able to have an approachable game that didn’t require a massive time sink.

It is quite dependent on taste, as someone who sunk over 3000 hours into live service games, but simply doesn’t have enough time to play these days, it was refreshing to have a short and sweet game that I could pickup whenever I had the chance, but from the perspective of someone who is able to invest a lot more time, paying $60 for a game you could finish in a day or two – well it may not be for you then.

AC: Mirage is a brilliant game for a more casual gamer, but for someone who has more investable time you may find more satisfaction in picking it up on sale in a few months.