I watched the previous movie in the new Ghostbusters franchise, and since I did enjoy it, I decided to go to the cinema to see the next one.
The initial opening scene, with a whole room of people frozen with apparently no obvious source, was a really good way of setting the tone of the rest of the movie and building tension.
I found Phoebe to be a really relatable character in the first movie, and that wasn’t any different in this movie. I can definitely relate to Phoebe needing the Ghostbusters in her life…and how frustrated and upset she was about having that taken away from her. Being told to just be a normal teenager, while the rest of the family continued to capture ghosts, was clearly really hard on her.
I will say that I was disappointed with how things were handled between Phoebe and Melody. If the characters had been a guy and a girl, there would have been a deeper exploration of their feelings and there would have been a Romeo and Juliet slant to the movie. For what it’s worth, I really don’t see Romeo and Juliet as some great love story. However, I know that comparison would have been drawn if the genders were different.
I did like the interactions between the whole family, including Gary, were really good. It was obvious that there were some tensions in the family with Gary dating Callie, including with Gary not really knowing if he could take an active part in dealing with Phoebe or not. I thought the tension between the family worked really well…although Phoebe snapping at her mother was a bit sad to see. On the other hand, I really didn’t like the fact that Callie told Trevor, ‘You’re an adult, aren’t you?’ when he asked her for help with the ghost in the attic. Like turning 18 magically means a parent shouldn’t help their child anymore? That made Callie drop a bit in my estimation, to be honest.
My favourite character in this movie, apart from Phoebe, had to be Nadeem. I always like the concept of a character who has abilities, but isn’t aware of them and then has to learn how to use those…and I really liked the way he was introduced. To be fair, the actor who plays him is one I’ve liked in a lot of things (like the Eternals).
On the whole, despite being disappointed in how Phoebe and Melody’s relationship was handled, I did enjoy this movie. It was a good sequel to Afterlife, and I particularly liked seeing the original surviving Ghostbusters appear in this movie. I will say that if you enjoyed the original Ghostbusters, I think this one and its predecessor are both worth watching.
So, as indicated in the last review I posted, I really like books based on mythology and gods…so when I saw this one on my birthday, I was immediately interested in reading it.
I really like the whole concept of humanity having to fight in battles for its survival. Of course, the idea itself isn’t really all that unique – Mortal Kombat, anyone? But this book gave me a bit more of an insight into the gods who wanted to destroy humanity, so there’s that.
I was a bit surprised that none of the gods spoke up in defence of humanity. I know the vote was meant to be a unanimous one, but it was a surprise that none of the gods cared about humanity.
I really liked being able to see Brunhilde. She was an interesting character, and I would have liked a bit more detail about her time living among humans. I assume that none of the other Valkyries lived as humans, so I would have liked a bit more detail about why they all wanted to save humans, not just Brunhilde.
I thought it was really good to see the different gods, although a lot of them were more of a ‘blink and you miss them’ appearance. I did like the brief interaction between Zeus and Hermes…but I have to say that while Zeus appeared very similar to how I would picture him, Hermes didn’t really meet the mental image I had of him. And really, neither did Thor. Gorgeous artwork, but the gods from other pantheons were clearly coloured by the way characters are drawn in Japanese manga.
I didn’t know anything about Lu Bu’s character, but I really liked the fact that he and Thor were able to respect each other as warriors. And it was interesting to see how Lu Bu’s legend was different from the reality.
I did feel like there was a lot of tension in the battle between Lu Bu and Thor. It was really good that there was a way found to allow the weapon of a human to stand against that of a god. However, given that it seems it takes a sacrifice to make that weapon, it’s kind of sad that, presumably, each battle will require that same sacrifice to make a weapon.
This book ends on something like a cliffhanger, along with the list of gods and humans who will be fighting each other. I’m definitely interested in reading further books in this series in the future!
This was the first book I read of the five I bought for my birthday, and it was one of the two I have now finished.
The blurb of this book was immediately interesting, since it involved gods and reincarnation, two things that I always find very interesting. Plus, I was really happy to see that the main character was nonbinary, as it’s the first book I’ve seen with that representation (that’s quite important to me, as one of my family members is nonbinary).
So, I do have to say that I found this book really quick and easy to read. I finished it in two days. I would have managed to finish it in one day, my birthday, but since I had a really long day and was planning on a long day the next, I knew I didn’t have the mental bandwidth to finish it in one day.
I really liked Gem’s character in this book. I found them to be really relatable and easy to engage with. Plus, as the initial scene had them dreaming one of their memories, I was immediately intrigued by what was going on between them and their demon. And the scene with the other god captured and imprisoned was depicted really well. I didn’t really understand Gem’s motivations at that point, to be honest. There was a lot about how important the balance, or the scales, were, but as I learned more about what Gem had done in their first life, I found myself wondering where the balance came in.
One thing I really liked was the impression I got that none of the characters were truly bad…or truly good, for that matter. Even with Gem being the narrator of the book, it was really clear that even the ‘villains’ had a lot of depth to them. I found myself really liking Poppy, even after viewing her through Gem’s eyes. And there was a flashback scene that made it really easy to understand Marian and her motivations.
I will say that there were some really good moments of foreshadowing in this book, especially when it came to Zeke. I would have liked a bit more of that with certain other gods who’d been reincarnated, as I felt they were only introduced right when they became relevant to the plot, instead of in a seamless way like a handful of the others were introduced.
I am disappointed that this book ended on a cliffhanger, as I really wanted to find out what would happen next. And the second book isn’t out until April, so I can’t find out what’s going to happen until then.
Anyway. I definitely found this book engaging and easy to read. If you like this kind of genre, I would definitely recommend giving this book a try.
So, I did go and see the other two Demon Slayer movies at the cinema. I really enjoyed both of them, so when I realised there was a third movie coming out at the cinema, I was immediately interested in seeing this movie.
Very similar to the second movie, this one started right in the middle of the action, with Tanjiro and Nezuko pursuing a demon that seemed to have been threatening the village Tanjiro had reached in the second film. I was a bit confused about what was going on, but it was really easy to care about Tanjiro and what he was trying to do. In the second movie, I really liked seeing more of Zenitsu and his abilities, and while he didn’t really appear much in this film, I liked that the advice he gave helped Tanjiro to focus his energy, despite being wounded and fatigued.
In the previous movies, it was made very clear that Tanjiro’s main goal in joining the demon slayers is to save his sister and make Nezuko human again. For that reason, the scene where Nezuko forces Tanjiro away from protecting her to protect the villagers, is particularly heart-wrenching. After all, it’s made extremely clear that demons can’t survive in daylight, and the sun burns Nezuko’s skin even before it’s fully in the sky.
I did find the villagers weraring the masks to be extremely weird and confusing. For a bit of the film, I actually assumed the masks were their faces; which made no sense, given that every other character had ‘normal’ faces.
I liked being able to see more of the wider world of the Demon Slayers, especially when it came to seeing more of the hashira. I really liked seeing both Obanai and Sanemi (the serpent and wind hashari respectively) fighting alongside each other to rescue a human woman from a demon, as it was really good to see how their abilities worked.
I also really liked both Mitsuri and Muichiro, especially when it came to them discussing how they each came to be marked. I really enjoyed how calmly and dispassionately Muichiro discussed his marking, as opposed to how excited and over the top Mitsuri became while talking about it. I would have liked to know exactly what being marked meant, though, as the movie deliberately cuts off that explanation…so I can only assume that it’s something bad. Also, it seems that Tanjiro’s mark is permanent…while the others’ marks don’t seem to last.
On the whole, I really did enjoy this addition to the Demon Slayer franchise. I liked seeing Nezuko being able to talk, even if she is copying what others say to her and has to be taught to speak…much like a child. I’m hoping that there will be a fourth movie out in this series very soon, as I would definitely watch it!
I do think this movie doesn’t really stand on its own, so you probably have to be at least a bit familiar with the anime before watching this movie. But if you are, this is definitely worth watching!
I watched the first Aquaman movie when it came out, so when I saw the second one advertised, I was immediately interested in going to see it.
I really enjoyed this movie. I particularly enjoyed seeing Arthur interacting with his son, and how he reacted to seeing Arthur Junior having the same abilities as him. It was a really sweet moment when he talked about how much he wished he had someone to talk to when his own abilities had started. Though, to be honest, I did question how a baby would handle those kinds of abilities…and part of me was worried that something bad was going to happen to the fish tank, like the fish would end up getting out or something.
My favourite parts of this movie were definitely the interactions between Arthur and Orm. The previous Aquaman movie had ended with Arthur obviously regretful over not being able to have a good relationship with his brother…and it was a lot of fun to see how they worked together. Although, I have to say that I thought Arthur was pretty mean when he encouraged Orm to eat a cockroach! It was sweet how Orm just trusted him, but…come on! (Unless Aquaman really does eat cockroaches and I’m just misremembering, but….)
I do think it would have been nice to see a bit more of some of the other Justice League members in this movie. Even if they’d just appeared briefly as cameos, I think it would have been good to see them…especially as I don’t know which universe this movie is supposed to take place in, given the mess that the Flash caused in his movie.
I did like the reappearance of the Black Manta as one of the main antagonists, since he was one of the antagonists in the previous movie, and it made a lot of sense that he still wants to kill Arthur. Besides, the common foe made even more sense for Arthur and Orm to be working together. I would have liked a bit more detail about how the others had joined the Black Manta, though. Especially Stingray. I was really interested in knowing what her whole deal was. I did like learning about Doctor Singh’s fascination with Atlantis…and how he never actually intended to hurt anyone from Atlantis and just wanted to see it. I was happy that he had the chance to actually see Atlantis.
On the whole, I did really enjoy this movie. I liked seeing Arthur’s relationship with his parents and with his son…and I really liked being able to see Orm and Arthur actually working together. Plus, it was incredibly sweet that he and Arthur came from such very different worlds and Orm was learning about the surface world from his older brother. This is definitely a film I would love to watch again!
I did watch the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory…and I even got to watch it with the actress who played Veruca Salt a couple of years ago, which was a lot of fun. So when I saw this prequel movie advertised, I was definitely interested in watching it.
I did feel that Willy Wonka wasn’t quite as…crazy as he appeared in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Yes, this was a prequel movie, but it was kind of hard to imagine this version of Willy Wonka progressing to a point where he was the version portrayed by Gene Wilder. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the movie…but there’d have to be a lot more between this one and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to see Willy Wonka’s progression.
I did enjoy the nods to the original movie, with Slugworth and some of the songs. It was interesting to see how much chocolate had corrupted Slugworth and his friends, to the point of them being considered a cartel. And I really did like seeing three of the Horrible Histories actors in this movie, as they’re a lot of fun in other things I’ve seen them in…and this was no exception.
I really did enjoy the friendship that developed between Wonka and Noodle and the way she helped him learn to read, while he helped her to dream of a better life. It was also really good to see some of Wonka’s history, particularly with his previous relationship with his mother and how that affected him in the present. I also enjoyed seeing the original appearance of the Oompa Loompa, although it was a shame not to see more than one properly. In the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, it’s indicated that Wonka saved the Oompa Loompas…but again, that seems to be something that needs to be explored in a further continuation of the canon.
I will say that the evil characters in this movie were very obviously evil. There was no subtlety or attempt to hide who were the good guys and who were the bad guys. On the one hand, it made it easy to root for the good guys. On the other, I find villains with a bit more depth to be more interesting.
I did enjoy the songs in this movie, both old and new ones. And I definitely enjoyed the different types of chocolate and the ingredients Wonka came up with. On the whole, I definitely enjoyed watching this movie. I do think that there’s more of Willy Wonka’s story that could be explored, especially as Slugworth had to crop up at some point again to become Wonka’s competitor.
If you enjoyed the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie, I would think you’d probably enjoy this one. It’s not a perfect movie, but it is a nice addition to the franchise and I found it an entertaining movie.
I read the first book of the Greatcoats series…and most of the second one…and really enjoyed the writing, so when I went to the Forbidden Planet store and saw this book, I was immediately intrigued. After all, antiheroes and reformed villains are among my favourite things (hence why I love Loki so much).
I did enjoy reading this book, though I can’t really say that it was as easy to read as some others. For instance, there was a lot of information dumping and repetitiveness…especially with Cade reiterating, over and over again, how he wasn’t one of the good guys. Despite that whole ‘the lady doth protest too much’, though, I did find him to be an interesting, engaging character…and I especially liked how the wonderists shown at the beginning of the book weren’t actually those who ended up being what the book was about, even though two of them were.
I found it interesting to see the relationship between Cade and Corrigan, even though I really didn’t like Corrigan for most of the book. Cade put on a really good front of being a bad guy, but being able to see events from his POV made it easier to see that he was a better person than he would have had the reader believe. Corrigan, I spent most of the book expecting him to betray everyone else…and even if I had a stronger respect for him by the end of the book, I could never quite shake that feeling that he would eventually turn on the rest of them.
As for the other wonderists in this book, I found Galass and Shame to both be really interesting, well-rounded characters. The whole concept of someone being awakened to an attunement to blood magic and having to figure out how to control something that sends most people insane was a really intriguing one. And I really enjoyed Shame’s interactions with Cade on her first appearance…and how he helped her, knowing that it was right, even if the whole reason he did so was because of Aradeus. And speaking of Aradeus…he was definitely more like the swashbuckling hero that Cade claimed so vehemently that the rest of them weren’t. He was someone who could have come across as really creepy and a lech…but by the end of the book, I felt that he was one of the better characters.
All told, I really did enjoy reading this book. While it wasn’t as good as the Greatcoats series, the main character was engaging enough to make me want to see more of him in future books…and I’m especially keen to see more of the history of characters like Corrigan, since there was a scene earlier that indicated there was something more tragic that had happened in his past. I definitely would have liked to see more details about that.
This book did take me a long time to read…and if I’m completely honest, that wasn’t because I didn’t enjoy this book, or didn’t want to read it. In fact, the book was really great and it hit all of my wants in a fantasy book. However, it took me a couple of months to read…which I think might have been more to do with outside things going on than anything else.
When I originally found this book, I was really excited. Why? Because it was an LGBTQ+ book…but it wasn’t put in its own section. It was just included in a shelf that only had fiction books. So finding this book felt like I’d made a huge discovery (it’s the little things that make life fun).
There was a lot that was going on in this book and I have to say, I really liked that there was so much detail. I didn’t really feel like the book was weighed down with the politics and mystery going on…although the counterfeit money was only a really small part of what was going on.
I really loved the slow burn of this book, in the relationship that formed between Kadou and Evemer. While it was a little bit of a cliche that one person doesn’t like the other and then they eventually become friends and then fall in love, I felt this book handled that in a much different way to the same plot I’ve seen in so many other romance books. For one thing, Evemer was appointed to Kadou as his servant, or armsman/guardsman…his exact role seems to be much closer than either of those, as there’s a different term used for them than any of those. In any case, Evemer actually liked Kadou when he first met him; it was just that Kadou made a mistake that unfortunately got some other people killed, which was the main source of the conflict.
Having said that, I really liked being able to see what both of them thought. And as their feelings for each other began to change, I really liked seeing how those thoughts and their perceptions evolved. And I especially liked that Evemer actually did have a sense of humour, even if it was dry. For instance acknowledging that he wouldn’t deal with someone treating his prince badly just by talking to and insulting him, instead acknowledging that he’d pick him up and throw him bodily away. Or words to that effect.
There is a lot more to this book than the romance, and I really liked that there was such a variety of characters. There was one incredibly powerful scene where Evemer’s loyalty is shown so clearly and that scene just…made me feel so much. And I have to say that the rest of the book did the same. I definitely recommend reading it! Because it’s such a good book…and I’m hoping there will be a sequel, as I really want to see more of Kadou and Evemer. And Tadek grew on me quite a bit, so I’d like to see more of him too!
So, I have had a strong interest in Mortal Kombat ever since I saw the first movie come out and decided I really liked Sub-Zero and Scorpion. And I played the full game of Mortal Kombat 11 and part of X, so I was particularly keen on seeing the new storyline and how everything turned out. I was far more interested in the storyline, even though fighting is a huge part of the game, so I just put the mode on very easy. I’m really not very good with any of the combo moves, although I did manage to do a couple by accident. For instance, when playing as Scorpion, I did accidentally make him use the iconic Get over here! move.
Speaking of Scorpion, I have really mixed feelings about Scorpion actually being Kuai Liang. While it was an interesting idea and ultimately, I was able to accept Scorpion’s new identity, I was disappointed that Hanzo wasn’t in the game. In Mortal Kombat 11, one of my favourite parts was the friendship between Scorpion and the second Sub-Zero. However, there is a piece of gear in the game that Kuai Liang can get that’s called something like, ‘Hanzo’s Mentor’, so I’m hoping that the next game will introduce a younger version of him.
While the game was still called Mortal Kombat, I was very surprised that only a small amount of the game was about the fighting tournament itself. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, as I did like the rest of the storyline outside of the tournament…but I was curious as to why Liu Kang had left the tournament in place at all, given that he and Sindel were allies and even seemed to be friendly.
One of the interesting things I found was that Raiden was a mortal and had no memories of his previous life as a god. It was a bit confusing, to be honest, as it didn’t really match how Mortal Kombat 11 had ended. But I did enjoy the friendship that was shown between Kung Lao and Raiden…along with how calm in nature Raiden was (though that didn’t fit his original nature at all), compared to Kung Lao.
I have to say that I also liked how the characters of Mileena, Baraka and Reptile were handled in this game. It was a really refreshing change to see them with more depth than just evil/working for Shang Tsung! I actually really enjoyed seeing Mileena in action throughout this game, especially considering the struggles she was facing in having to hide her affliction from her people. I especially loved that she and Kitana were so close…and I really liked her relationship with Tanya, though it would have been nice to see more close scenes between two women.
I will say that I would have liked to see the character designs more similar to how they looked in the previous games. While some of those could be explained away by the characters being younger (Scorpion, Kung Lao, etc.), those like Kitana…who is thousands of years old…could have shared more of a physical similarity with the version of her from the previous game.
I do have to say that playing the game on the Switch did result in more than a few problems. For instance, there were very slow loading screens…especially in the final chapter, which occurred after every single fight. And I was really disappointed that it took so long for Invasions to start working. While I can play Invasions through now, I spent several hours playing in Johnny Cage’s mansion to try and gain enough levels to unlock some of the Kameo fighters. It did sour my enjoyment of Invasions for a little while, although I have now played enough to unlock all but one of the extra Kameo characters. (And if I’m honest, most of those don’t seem to work that well. Kano is definitely the best out of the Kameo fighters, but I’ve found a lot of the others don’t do any damage at all).
I have to be honest and say…I absolutely hate the test your might aspects of this game. While I’ve managed to get to a point of succeeding in them (mostly), having to smash four buttons repeatedly is really annoying. And I failed so many times throughout the story mode that I came really close to giving up…especially when the first test your might had me having to do so multiple times, one after the other. I don’t know about any other players, but I didn’t enjoy it.
I haven’t unlocked all of the character endings yet, but I really liked the fact that the ones I have unlocked so far all expand on the original ending of the game, rather than giving completely different endings to the game, like Mortal Kombat 11. I unlocked Mileena’s ending first (because I really liked her character in this game), but that ending was quickly follwed by Scorpion’s and Sub-Zero’s…and then Kitana’s.
On the whole, despite the glitches and the annoying test your might parts, I really did enjoy playing this game through. The storyline was interesting and engaging…and there was a good variety of different battles to play as the storyline unfolded. I’m hoping that there will be more to unlock in the game, such as other characters and potential extra storylines…especially as I did pay out for the premium edition!
If you enjoy the Mortal Kombat games, I’d say you would probably enjoy this one…although you might not want to play it on the Switch if you have an alternative games console.