Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II

So the final Harry Potter film is finally here and I'm sure everyone's asking the exact same question - was it good? In fact, well... yes.

I'll try to make this brief...
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II delivers everything you expect from a Harry Potter film; Extraordinary set pieces, amazing and imaginative creatures, and of course magic in all its forms masterfully realized on screen.

The Good:
+ Flawless visuals - not once do the visual effects falter. If you do find mistakes then good for you. I doubt others will care.
+ Great character development - you'll find yourself cheering as key characters find their individual shining moments (Neville Longbottom's and Molly Weasley's in particular)
+ Goodbye Bellatrix Lestrange and good riddance. If you ask me, it should have looked more painful.
+ ALLELUIA! A CONCLUSION! Oh my god, it's been a long time coming!

The Bad:
- The only thing I really can complain about is how this and, as well as, previous films in the series presume that everyone's up to speed with the mythology. It could have done with a brief summary of what's come before. As it is, it's just not a self-contained movie.
- Though they could have at least shown Dolores Umbridge's imprisonment to Azkaban just for the sheer satisfaction of seeing her in misery.
- So they "age" the actors at the end of the film. The only problem is that it's as convincing as Voldemort's missing nose. It could have been done a bit better.

The film stays consistent with Part 1's grainy look which wasn't apparent in earlier films. Whether this is a stylistic approach or not, I'd like to know. I just can't seem to decide whether I find it favorable or not. Either way, it's there.

THE VERDICT!

Score Card:

Should you see it? Frankly, hell yes. It's well worth it. Even if only to find closure to something you've been following for about a decade. No really, it's quite good.

*As far as 3D's concerned, I didn't bother. Though from what I've seen, I doubt it would be necessary to enjoy the film. It wasn't natively shot in 3D anyway.

Sonic Generations Demo Review

I finally got my hands on Sega’s anticipated Sonic Generations Demo from the Xbox Live marketplace.

Impressions so far…

The good:
+ The first thing you’ll notice about this game is that it’s incredibly fluid! If you thought Sonic Colors on the Wii was fluid, boy you’re in for a surprise. Sonic Generations is silky smooth with no noticeable drop in framerate (so far at least).
+ Great level design. One of the most aggravating issues that the earlier 3D Sonic games had was bad level design. Considering you’re playing a game about a character whose main feature is speed, it became really annoying when you’d keep dying here and there by falling into certain pitfalls and colliding with enemies. Not here. Kudos to Sonic Team for the level design work that allows Sonic to blaze through a level without frustrating pitfalls.
+ Complimenting the silky-smooth fluidity and great level design, the controls are ultra responsive (thank god)!
+ Physics, physics, physics.
+ This game is gorgeous – the demo level brings back the nostalgia of the earlier 2D Sonic games while giving it that next-gen, HD touch. I have yet to try it in stereoscopic 3D though and I’m sure not everyone has 3D glasses on hand either.

The bad:
- It’s a reaaallly short demo.



Regardless of how short it was, it definitely has me wanting to play more of it and that’s a good thing - I’m sure most people would agree. Sonic Generations comes out on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Nintendo DS on September 22, 2011.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Starring Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Whitely-Huntington, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro, Frances McDormand, and Patrick Dempsey
Directed by Michael Bay

I want to begin this review by saying, it's a movie about giant robots. If you don't like these kinds of things - you shouldn't bother watching it at all. If you want a deep storyline with an, arguably, strong emotional connection, stay home and watch The Hours on DVD. If you can stay awake through the entire film that is.

Now for the review.

Frankly, for what it is, the film's quite good. Again it's a story about giant freaking robots and for whatever its worth, you have to give Michael Bay (and his, ahem, "sizable" visual effects team) credit for crafting an engaging film given the subject matter.

Personally, the movie felt like an orgasmic mash up of Titanic's grandiose emotional sequences and Indepedendence Day's bloody American patriotism in the midst of an alien invasion with just a dash of Michael Bay's own Armageddon for good measure.

If you didn't enjoy any of these films, then it should be obvious by now that this isn't your kind of movie.

The Good:
+ For a film of this magnitude and scale (literally-speaking), it actually makes you feel invested in its characters. Both human and robot. In fact, you'll probably end up rooting for some of them while watching the movie.
+ The soundtrack is amazing. Though I could be a bit biased since it has some of my favorite artists involved. Goo Goo Dolls anyone?
+ Rosie Whiteley-Huntington wasn't as bad as I though she could have been - especially for a first time actress. Though I still can't get over those lips. I wonder if they're real or augmented? Regardless, she serves her purpose as an attractive accessory in the movie (and they were very blatant about it too).
+ The action sequences were, dare I say it, "epic" and well orchestrated.
+ The visuals were top notch and solid all throughout - nobody would dare accuse this film of looking cheap or "too CGI" - they're blended very well together. On that note, to anyone who doesn't know how long it takes just to make things look realistic in computer graphics (CG), let me just say that it definitely takes work. At least learn to appreciate the craft and the artistry (and the labor) that it takes to create what you seen on screen from every angle of the film-making process.
+ Alan Tudyk as Dutch and Frances McDormand as National Intelligence Director, Charlotte Mearing are refreshing to see on screen (if only to break the monotony).
+ Ken Jeong from the Hangover is hilarious.
+ The robots (and their voice actors) are fantastic! How can you go wrong with Leonard Nimoy?
+ Apart from James Cameron's AVATAR, I'm usually not a fan of 3D and this is yet another a rare exception. If you don't mind the extra ticket price, go see it not just in 3D but in IMAX 3D - it definitely compliments the larger than life set pieces and action sequences on screen and adds an extra dimension to the viewing experience (imagine that).
*It was also "shot" natively in 3D like AVATAR hence it doesn't seem as forced as other films just trying to cash in this new fad (We're looking at you Alice in Wonderland).

The Bad:
- Sam (Shia LaBeouf) and Carly's (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) relationship is too laughable to believe let alone care about. She could have been blown up for all I care.
- Given the over-the-top action sequences, it's really hard to believe that all the main characters survive with just a few scratches and bruises when people around them are dying left and right. I mean come on, really?
- Patrick "McDreamy" Dempsey as a villain is really annoying. If this had been a stage play, I would already have thrown a bag of tomatoes.
- The actor they chose to supposedly play US Pres. Ronald Reagan looks nothing like him.

THE VERDICT!


Score Card:


Should you see it?
Sure why not. That's if you're looking to check your brain out the door and just enjoy a good action film with giant robots and tons of explosions. If it's not your thing don't bother or help me god, I'll slap you silly if I hear/read another complaint that I haven't already addressed in my preamble.

Any thoughts?