Quick Review : Metroid – Zero Mission (Game Boy Advance)

The original Metroid is almost impossible to play in the modern era. It’s interesting to explore as a relic of a bygone era. But that’s all it is: a relic. The remake for the Game Boy Advance, Metroid – Zero Mission, has all but made the original obsolete. Apart from a few niggles, this is how a game developer should approach a video game remake. Don’t simply upgrade the graphics and add a few bonus modes. Rebuild it from the ground up, modernize it to today’s standards (if it’s an older game, of course!), and add to the original experience whilst staying faithful to the spirit of the original.

Quick Review : Metroid – Samus Returns (3DS)

A remake is supposed to capture the spirit of the original whilst bringing something new to the table, isn’t it? This remake of Metroid II is not particularly a bad game. But in updating the original for the modern era, this remake sacrifices the spirit of the original. This turns the Metroid franchise into the more action-orientated game play of the risible Metroid: The Other M.

Quick Review : The Karate Kid (2010)

When I first read about this remake, I was perplexed. Firstly, why call it ‘The Karate Kid’ when it was based in China? Karate originated from Japan, not China! Not only that, but qhy change the age of the protagonist? Surely, it would make this remake’s version where Miyagi saves Daniel from the bullies uncomfortable?

‘Metroid – Samus Returns’ (3DS) And How Not To Do A Video Game Remake Part II : Why ‘Metroid: Samus Returns’ Is A Poor Remake of ‘Metroid II – Return of Samus’

Due to the Coronavirus crisis, I am out of a job…and have plenty of free time on my hands! Now, I don’t want to dwell on the current global pandemic, or my own circumstances. A blog of this type is meant for light entertainment, a diversion from the world crashing around us. Media is also a diversion from the outside world (unless you watch Contagion…which I did last night, for some reason!). Now that I’ve had more time on my hands, I finally got around to playing Metroid – Samus Returns, the 3DS remake of the Game Boy game Metroid II – Return of Samus. And it got me to thinking about something less serious than a global pandemic…(so much so that this blog will be split into two parts!!!).

Metroid : Samus Returns (3DS) And How Not To Do A Video Game Remake Part I : Three And A Half Reviews Of Metroid II : The Return of Samus (Game Boy)

According to WordPress, today is my WordPress birthday! So, happy birthday to me! Not like I’d know it, because I’ve been inactive on this site since September 2018. However, due to the Coronavirus crisis, I am out of a job…and have plenty of free time on my hands! Now, I don’t want to dwell on the current global pandemic, or my own circumstances. A blog of this type is meant for light entertainment, a diversion from the world crashing around us. Media is also a diversion from the outside world (unless you watch Contagion…which I did last night, for some reason!). Now that I’ve had more time on my hands, I finally got around to playing Metroid: Samus Returns, the 3DS remake of the Game Boy game Metroid II: Return of Samus. And it got me to thinking about something less serious than a global pandemic…(so much so that this blog will be split into three parts!!!).

Battlestar Galactica: Oh, Battlestar, Oh Battlestar, Wherefore Art Thou Battlestar Galactica?

I’ve been thinking of Battlestar Galactica  and thought I’d write a broad review of it as a whole (without spoiling anything for anybody!). Now, I’ve heard it said that Battlestar is merely “sci fi rubbish.” You couldn’t be more wrong. There’s nothing wrong with science fiction if it’s adequately executed. It’s a genre that can easily explore novel ideas and philosophical concepts without being too overbearing, pretentious, or downright boring. One movie that springs to mind is Total Recall. It turns the philosophical problem of identity into a two hour thrill ride, with over-the-top violence and great dialogue. It’s a perfect layman’s introduction to the problem of identity. Battlestar Galactica is a cornucopia of philsophical ideas, as well as televisual excellence.

Review: Stephen King’s IT (2017) (The Horror Film Of The Year?)

(SPOILER FREE)

“You want it to float, don’t you?”

Stephen King’s IT is one of my favourite novels. I could read it over and over again until the end of time. The first adaptation of the novel, the 1990 TV miniseries, failed to do the novel justice, despite a great performance by Tim Curry as the novel’s main horror, Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Twenty seven years later, we have been given a full-on Hollywood film adaptation (or, more accurately, a two part film adaptation). Does it do the novel justice? More importantly, does it deliver true horror? My answers to both questions are uncertain. There’s too much cut from the novel to do it justice (even given that it only tells the story of the children, not the children as adults). It also relies too much on jump scares and delivers an uneven tone throughout the film…

Reaction: Stephen King’s IT – First Official Trailer

“When you’re a kid, you think the universe revolves around you”

The First Official Trailer for the big screen adaptation of Stephen King’s IT dropped yesterday. We have seen a film adaptation before of King’s IT, but it was a made for TV movie. It’s average at best, elevated by a creepy performance by Tim Curry as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Without further ado, here’s the trailer:

Review: Baywatch (2017) (Nothing Glistens In Emerald Bay)

“Our team is the elite of the elite”

Sometimes you need to see a bad film to appreciate the good ones. Of course, with cinema prices nowadays, one can only afford to see the good ones. Why waste ten pound (at the least) on a naff film? However, once in a while, a bad film is good for the mind’s equilibrium. And, let there be no doubt about it, ‘Baywatch’ is a bad film. Not even The Rock can save this update of a nostalgic property from sinking. Yes, Dwayne Johnson has been in some terrible films. But he’s shone through, his natural charisma curtailing the gap between the screen and the viewer. Here, however, he’s lost among the flotsam and jetsam of awful jokes, dialogue, plot, direction, editing…I could go on.

Review: Ghost in the Shell (2017) (Another Dodgy Remake of a Japanese Classic?)

“It’s okay, just breathe”

Within a month or two, we’ve had two live action remakes of classic animations. The first was ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ which recreated the original faithfully but felt wholly unnecessary. Now, we have ‘Ghost in the Shell,’ a remake of the beloved 1995 Japanese anime. Yes, there were concerns about ‘whitewashing.’ Why cast Scarlett Johannsen as the main character? Why not a Japanese actress? But the whitewashing is one of the many problems that one encounters whilst watching ‘Ghost in the Shell.’ A lame script, an irritating Westernisation of the original’s plot and endless shots of the (admittedly impressive) futuristic city are among the other big problems.