Top 12 Best Video Game Shows

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With the recent releases of Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, now is a good time to talk about what I consider to be the best video game shows ever made. Despite all the constant negative reputation surrounding films that acts as adaption of well-known gaming franchises, I think most would agree that there has been an enormous quality leap for those in recent years. Perhaps it has to do with more cast and crew involved with these projects nowadays that actually have a knowledge and respect towards the property it’s based on but, it’s definitely nice and refreshing to see better video game adaptions come out as of late, especially after several years of folks claiming that video game just can’t work in movie or show form whatsoever.

12.) The Cuphead Show

While the Cuphead games contained the most Walt Disney-like animation that work for a show, I believe very little actually assumed that it would have enough substance to carry an entire show. However, this adaption helmed by Netflix was able to surprise die-hard fans and even newcomers alike.

Granted, it resembles very little of the actual story or gameplay of the games. Instead, it operates as a throwback to that traditional hand drawn animation which it’s own style is clearly based upon. It’s all about Cuphead and Mugman going on adventures together and getting themselves into trouble alogn the way. That allows for all the traditional boss fights from the games to appear along with a handful of new characters thrown into the mix. While it acts more as trying to capture the medium than the story and gameplay of the games, The Cuphead Show is still able to keep that cheerful and uplifting feel of the games.

11.) Sonic Boom

Sonic the Hedgehog has had quite a bit of shows to come out throughout his history. There are those 90s kids that grew up with Sonic Satam and Sonic Underground, there’s the 2000s kids that had Sonic X, and we also now have the 2020s kids that have Sonic Prime and recently Knuckles as their generational Sonic shows. However, it might just be the 2010s kids that have been the luckiest as Sonic Boom is the one cartoon that got the most right about the Blue Blur and his friends.

Even though the games which the shows was based upon ranged from underwhelming to just plain awful, the show contains some of the best and wittiest writing the franchise has ever seen. Putting the spotlight on Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Eggman, and a new character named Sticks, it was able to be the best kind of Saturday morning cartoon, using the smart humor, beautiful animation and non-stop action to show the best of are colorful cast of characters. Oh, and there’s even a sequence where Knuckles talks about the importance of gender equality, bringing out the feminist side of him! If that right there is not enough to impress you, then what is wrong with you?!

10.) Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft

The newest adaption of our beloved Tomb Raider see the character transiting between the Survivor trilogy and the original series of games. This is able to deliver entertaining globe-trooping adventures with Lara Croft and her friends/allies, looking for whatever treasure and resource might be valuable to them or to keep out of the hands of trinity. Hayley Atwell is as pitch-perfect as the character as you would expect (which will make you wonder why she was never casted in this role before and/or in live-action) and there are plenty of fun easter eggs and nods for fans of old and new of the series.

It may not be the very best from the library of video game adaptions from Netflix and certainly doesn’t have the most unique animation out there but for what it’s worth, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft gives Lara Croft the justice she deserves. Fingers crossed for a Season Two!

9.) Gangs of London

Far from the most famous video game out there, this British crime drama is actually an adaption of a PlayStation Portable exclusive that came out in 2006, the third installment in the Getaway series. Even if you take that out of the way, it works well as it’s own interesting crime drama.

Gangs of London follows the trouble that has emerges among the streets of the capital city of England, following the assassination of an influential mob boss. The search to uncover the mystery of this murder might be pretty bloody and violent along the way but plenty of focus is presenting shady deals, tense atmosphere, and street-level politics. If crime dramas are your jam, this will definitely suit your cravings.

8.) Carmen Sandiego

Here’s a video game adaption that has perhaps slipped under the radar to many folks out there. After all, I don’t think anyone would expect that a show adaption based off of educational series of video games could make much for it’s own show. However, this Netflix exclusives series was able to work quite well as that.

Featuring a very recognizable cast with the likes of Gina Rodriguez, Finn Wolfhard, and Dawnn Lewis, Carmen Sandiego is able to provided a nice Indiana Jones-like spin, where it’s about the protagonist searching for certain McGuffins along with learning a valuable lesson or two along the way. This might be a very kid friendly show but there is definitely something in here that adults can get into as well. There’s not many folks out there that are aware of this show’s and even games’ existence. But now that you know, check out Carmen Sandiego whenever you can and I believe you won’t regret it.

7.) Twisted Metal

With an adaption of a series of games that is as crazy and wild as it comes, you would expect a show to be able to live up to that feel with not much difficulty. And you would be right entirely!

Twisted Metal is a video game show that was able to breath new life to it’s 1995 gaming counterpart. Aided by an engaging lead with Anthony Mackie, it’s able to successfully translate the dark humor and explosive action that had become a staple of the franchise while giving itself it’s own unique personality and feel to the whole thing. If you are burned out by cheesy, over-the-top action movies, this might not be for you. For everyone else, this will you give your cheesy, over-the-top action movie fix. And it’s all the better for it!

6.) Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

Yes, Cyberpunk 2077, the game which this was based on, was quite polarizing at it’s 2020 launch due to it’s infamous glitches and technical problems, only recently becoming a respected title after the majority of those problems got fixed. That doesn’t change the fact that Cyberpunk: Edgerunners was able to be a big success right out of the gate in 2022.

Whatever missed potential the original game may have had is greatly fixed here. Fully utilizing a techno megacity that is run by crime and corruption, what is able to carry the series the most is it’s unique visual style, standout action sequences, and a frenzied narrative that is easy to get hook by. Regardless how you feel about the game to this day, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is able to work for fans that stuck along with the game since launch and those that love a good sci-fi anime.

5.) Pokémon

When compared to other video game adaptions out there, this can be seen as The Simpsons or SpongeBob SquarePants of video games shows. A long running animated series, expanding upon multiple generations of fans but still has sustained enough popularity and success to warrant going on for as long as it has had.

Released just one year after it’s very first gaming installment, this animated video game adaption was able to expand upon the characters, world, and lore of Pokémon in ways that the games could never do. The colorful creatures of any kind get their time to shine, there’s more humor and comedy throw in, the battles are more of a visual treat for the eyes, and the world has never been better expanded upon than it has been here in regards to Pokémon. Despite the humongous success of the video games, I’m willing to bet Pokémon wouldn’t be nearly as popular as it was today if it weren’t for this show.

4.) Castlevania

After a handful of decades since the franchise first actual game, the animated adaption came around and was able to be the best possible version of itself. Even with it’s animation style clearly being inspired by anime, it is different just enough from traditional Japanese animes that it doesn’t quite qualify as that. None of that changes the fact that Castlevania works very well as it’s own animated series.

As it’s best, the show’s biggest strength is the ability to balance horror, mystery, and action without losing it’s cohesion. Complimented by stellar fight scenes and well-done character development throughout, it at times feels like watching cutscenes from one of the games in the BEST way possible. By being able to capture the game’s most important elements and fitting it all to a compelling narrative, Castlevania works wonders as it’s own show. It may not be quite an anime, but I bet even the folks in Japan were very happy with this series.

3.) Fallout

The recent smash hit of a video game show that just began streaming on Amazon has been one of the most delightful surprises of 2024 thus far in terms of entertainment. Fallout was able to work greatly as an adaption that honored the source material is was based on (despite some potential retcons here and there) while expanding the overall world to new audience members all around the world.

Aided by an INCREDIBLY likable and talented cast with Ella Purnell’s Lucy, Walton Goggin’s Cooper Howard, and Aaron Clifton Moten’s Maximus, this series puts the focus on a handful of scrappy survivors fighting their way through a nuclear apocalypse in different parts of a retro-futuristic America. Even with it’s rather serious stakes throughout, the show never forgets to be lighthearted and fun when the moments require it. With a perfectly balanced tone, engaging protagonists, and top notch production values, Fallout earns itself a spot as a new gold standard for video game adaptions and shows.

2.) The Last of Us

Despite it being based on a video game series, it was a no brainer that The Last of Us could perfectly work as a it’s own show. After all, the games themselves aren’t so much driven by the gameplay but by the deep narrative and resonate themes that has made fans attached to the franchise. And it’s those reasons and more why this HBO Max series is able to work as well as it did.

While it does stay as close to the source material as possible, enough changes are made that are justified and contribute greatly to what the series has always stood for. Joel and Ellie are arguably a more likable pairing here than they were in their own respective games, portrayed wonderfully by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, as the series allows for their relationship to be more fleshed out along with the other characters of old and new we meet as the show goes on. If there was somehow any doubt that The Last of Us could NOT work as it’s own show, this adaption could not have prove those doubters more wrong if it tried.

1.) Arcane

I will say straight up front. I have never played a single League of Legends game nor do I recall watching a single gameplay video of any game from that franchise. None of that changes the fact that Arcane is not only the best adapted video game show of all time, it’s legit one of the best animated series that I have ever seen. That is no exaggeration in the slightest! It’s is simply THAT good!

If it’s not the wonderfully realized worldbuilding and animation that is enough to draw you in, it’s the tremendous voice cast and compelling characters that is able to back that up perfectly. Presenting the best sister conflict in recent memory, Arcane follows Vi and Jinx, once sisters, that find themselves at odds with one another with tragedy and conflict erupts in their city. There is not a single beat that misses here and completely works no matter if you played the games or you are completely blind to any LoL lore. Even if I’ve never played a game, I can just tell by how much love and care when into making this show that it does its source material great justice. If there is only one show on this list that you are able to watch, please make it Arcane! It’s simply PHENOMENAL!

And here’s my list of the top 15 video game movies!

Krabby Patty & Chicken Big Mac Reviews

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So, there have been some new sandwiches that just released at Wendy’s and McDonalds in the form of the Krabby Patty and the Chicken Big Mac! Wendy’s started serving the Krabby Patty Meal on October 8th, as a means of celebrating the 25th anniversary of SpongeBob SquarePants. Wendy’s started serving the Chicken Big Mac on October 10th, which is said to be available for only a limited amount of time. I haven’t done a food review on this blog yet but I figured, why not do one based off the two more recent burgers in two of the biggest fast food restaurants in America?

Keep in mind, I don’t consider myself a professional food critic by any means, certainly not compared to being a film, tv or video game critic. I’m mostly really only going on how much I enjoyed the food that I ate and comparing it other food when it is necessary. Nothing more, nothing less. If you are looking for a massive in-depth review of these food products, you have clicked on the wrong “review” and best look elsewhere for that. Let’s not waste anymore time and jump right into it!

The Krabby Patty Meal

So, yeah! After all this time that SpongeBob SquarePants has been around, the Krabby Patty is FINALLY a legit thing in the real world. And we all have Wendy’s to thank for that.

The Krabby Patty meal is a recent new addition to Wendy’s. It’s a kollab meal that contains the famous burger of the show known as the Krabby Patty, medium french fries, and a pineapple frosty, labeled as a Pineapple “Under the Sea” frosty.

The Krabby Patty itself contains just about all the ingredients that the infamous sandwich has on the show. First bun, then patties, followed by ketchup and mustard, pickles, extra onions, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and bun, in that order. The main key difference is a bit of sweet sauce that is added, which I imagine basically comes from the so-called “secret” formula on the show. And for the most part, it’s your typical fast food burger.

If you have a tried a burger from the likes of McDonalds, Burger King, Sonic, and of course Wendy’s, you basically have had this burger before. It may have all the ingredients that the Krabby Patty comes in the show but that is also about all the ingredients which any fast food burger has. It most certainly tastes as good as any good fast food burger does and it filled my lunch craving when I needed it but for the most part, it’s your typical fast food burger with a bit of sweet sauce added to it.

Then again, that kinda has always been a thing about the Krabby Patty on the show, it’s always has been a plain fast food burger. The Krabby Patty is basically the equivalent of a Big Mac from McDonalds and Whooper from Burger King, the same kind of selling sandwich with only a few extra and different tasting ingredients added to it to make it standout as it’s own thing. The so-called “secret” formula really is only referred to as that to make the Krabby Patty sound more than just your ordinary sandwich, but that has ALWAYS been part of the joke. Why else has the show never outright said what the Krabby Patty formula is? Because it’s really nothing special and would just make the Krabby Patty sound like a plain burger and nothing more. Because well….it is.

And that is the Krabby Patty in a nutshell. I enjoyed it, it tasted good, and something I wouldn’t mind having again if it stuck around at Wendy’s but for the most part, it’s your typical fast food burger. All of which has been the case with fast food. You aren’t looking for anything super special or different, just something that taste good enough to fill your stomach for a couple of hours and nothing more.

As for the fries and frosty, it’s mostly the same as well. The salty fast food fries is your typical salty fast food fries and the frosty is like the kind of ones you get a Sonic or your local ice cream store but with pineapple flavor added to it. Considering pineapple flavor isn’t my thing, the frosty didn’t do much for me.

Overall, what you see with the Krabby Patty meal is what you get. If it looks good to you, then I assume it will taste as good for you. If it looks gross to you, then I imagine it will taste gross for you. However, I find it hard to imagine that anyone will have the same reaction that SpongeBob did when he tried out a Jim patty for the first time ever.

Chicken Big Mac

And now, onto the Chicken Big Mac, the newest addition to Mickey D’s that has been confirmed to only be available for a limited period of time. I don’t know how long that means but I wouldn’t be surprised if it stays or returns again in the future if this sells well. Even so, we known have a Chicken Big Mac, the newest sandwich which someone from upper McDonalds’s management must of had the idea to make combine the Big Mac and McChicken into one, which is basically the Chicken Big Mac in a nutshell.

You take the original Big Mac, remove the beef patties with chicken, get rid of the spicy flavor with more traditional ranch, throw in some extra cheese, and this is what you get. And you know what, I don’t have a problem with that whatsoever.

I like the Big Mac and McChicken and the Chicken Big Mac is able to make for the best of both worlds of it. If that sound good to you, then I imagine it will taste as good as it sounds. If that sound bad to you, then I imagine it will taste as disgusting as it sounds.

I honestly have a hard time imagining this won’t be staying on the menu or be back in the future because if folks enjoy it as much as I do, this could have the potential to be the next Popeyes Chicken Sandwich (which I never did try out). Just being the newest popular food on the menu that everyone rushes out to get, even enduring the lunch rush and dinner waiting list. With the original Big Mac is as big of a feature to McDonalds, how can you not believe that the Chicken Big Mac won’t be the exact same thing? Why not add more kinds of Big Macs to the dollar menu?

The Chicken Big Mac is mostly a spin-off of the original Big Mac and nothing more than that. However, that is perfectly okay in my views. I was just looking for what it said on the menu and I got exactly that. I love me some Big Mac so I have no problem in loving some Chicken Big Mac as well.

Sorry if this one is shorter but I don’t have much else to say beyond that. I mostly only added this in because it was another recent new food item that I tried out. Because of that, why not do a double review of the new Krabby Patty AND the new Chicken Big Mac? But still, I recommend both new burgers if they look appealing to you. And that’s pretty much all I have left to say about that!

Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) Spoilers- Unmasking The Clown

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Joker: Folie à Deux is now out in theaters and you can say that everyone has (no pun intended) CLOWNED on this film over the past weekend! As the time of this writing, it has a 33% critically rating and a 30% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. PostTrak had audience giving it a 1/2 star rating in a survey, with only 24% of folks recommending the movie. It’s also the first ever comic book film to receive a D rating on Cinemascore (even Madame Web this year received a generous C+ rating). It’s quite baffling how just a month before we have to endure the most controversial election in America history, it’s a freaking Joker sequel of all things that actually managed to bring the country together for possibly the last time……ever. The critics don’t like it, the fans don’t like it, and not even the easy to please general movie going public seems to like it. There’s certainly a loud minority on Twitter that have singed their praise for it and it will no doubt receive the “reappraisal” substance a few years down the line but for the most part, Joker 2 is not being well liked by the majority of folks that have seen it.

What the hell happened here?! How is it that a sequel to a popular mainstream film that made a billion dollars and was nominated for a bunch of awards managed to misfire THIS badly both critically and (likely) financially?!

Even taken away the fact that Warner Bros NEVER attended for Joker to have a sequel or how Todd Phillips is the KING of making bad sequels (See The Hangover: Part II and III), there was potential for a Joker 2 to deliver. You had a bold (if not odd) direction to make it a musical, you had a masterful singer/growing actress in Lady Gaga as Harleen Quinzel, and it provided a chance to explore this world with the clown prince of crime in his early days of being the clown prince of crime in a way that no other Batman medium ever has. Unfortunately, it seemed like delivering ANY of those elements in a satisfying way was the LAST thing on Todd Phillips’s mind when making this sequel.

Before I start to (also no pun intended) unmask the clown in the room, I want you to close your eyes and imagine being Todd Phillips. You just made a movie that managed to be a genuine crowd pleaser that grossed a billion dollars and was nominated for a bunch of big awards, including the Academy Awards, A.K.A. the Oscars. Your career has initially skyrocketed as basically any studio is bounding to come knocking at your door in the hopes of securing you for their latest major IP. You have all the reasons in the world to bask in your own glory. You are at an all time high in your career, putting yourself on the map everywhere!

However, you have a certain group of folks that watched and loved Joker that seemed to have enjoyed it in a way that you didn’t attend for. Sure, it didn’t lead into a major uprising of incels and losers empowering themselves to become a threat to society like mainstream media predicted but there are many folks that seem to claim that the Joker was in fact intended to be a hero that was able to take matters into his own hands. They are in the mindset that he did NOTHING wrong in that film and all of his actions were COMPLETELY justified! And considering we are now living in a timeline to where there’s a DISTRUBING amount of praise for Nazis and Adolf Hitler, that has to be in the back of your mind with looking back at the success of your film.

Fast forward to the Oscars, while Joker was able to secure the awards for Best Actor and Best Score, it lost the Best Picture to Parasite. That in of itself causes a major portion of the fanbase you created to be OUTRAGED. Typing out angry tweets and making RANT videos about how the Academy Awards are rigged and Joker deserved to win over Parasite. Hell, even former president (at least at the moment) Donald Trump made a comment about how “odd” it was that a foreign film won Best Picture and he likely would have preferred for Joker to win (It was reported that he watched Joker and enjoyed it!). And of course, do I even need to mention this bizarre rant from infamous YouTuber Robert Storms about Parasite winning Best Picture over Joker.

So, you basically have two distinct ways which you could look back on the success of your film take on the clown prince of crime. You can either just be proud of the fact that it made a billion dollars, was nominated for a bunch of awards and won some, and that the majority of the (sane) public was able to enjoy it when it came out during the Fall of 2019. Or you can be embarrassed at the fact that so many folks took the “wrong” idea on how the Joker was portrayed in the film, being a major reason why the film received so much pre-release controversy, and made nothing but rage videos when it didn’t win for Best Picture at the Oscars.

Warner Bros comes up to you and confirms they want a Joker 2. Even if the original plan was for Joker to be a one-and-done kind of film, the success of that film was too massive that studio execs are demanding for a sequel. In the back of your mind, you really don’t want to do it because you originally signed up for just one. Not to mention, if a Joker 2 is even remotely successful as the first one, they will no doubt demand a Joker 3, 4, 5, along with a bunch of spin-offs that you will be stuck having to make for the rest of your life. You also don’t want to go through yet ANOTHER tiresome press tour, answering the same questions as to whether or not the Joker is “dangerous” to society and if certain folks are still getting the wrong idea from the character. At the same time, you don’t want someone else taking over because you will have a much higher salary than with any movie that you’ve made nor do you want to risk someone else “tainting” your masterpiece.

It’s then you decide, “Screw it! I’ll make another one!” Not because I HAVE it, but because it’s what literally EVERYONE else wants. However, I’m going to do EVERYTHING in my power to make sure I don’t go through the same experience as last time. I will NOT leave a cliffhanger for a Joker 3, I will make sure to have the entire plot centered around telling those certain folks they were wrong for liking Joker the way they did, I’ll make it a musical staring Lady Gaga just to stick it to does that HATE musicals, and best of all, I’ll make a film that undoes EVERYTHING the previous film established, that is guaranteed review bombings and low Rotten Tomatoes, just so there’s NO way the studios will ask me to come back for another one. That sounds like a plan!

I’ll get the highest salary of my career, I will make a film that spits in the face of those idiots that actually thought Joker was suppose to be the “good guy” in all of this, I will make sure to have the entire film build up to an ending which makes a Joker 3 or ANY other film in this universe impossible, and I will be FREE of having to do anymore of these movies. Who cares if it makes fans or critics angry? They are the ones that asked for it, even though you didn’t whatsoever. Because of that, let’s make this whole sequel THEIR problem too and make them feel stupid for even imagining a Joker 2 of any kind.

To be sure, I can’t say for certain this was the mindset that Todd Phillips had going into making Joker: Folie à Deux. Perhaps he did attended to make a genuine crowd pleaser that the mainstream audience would be “smart” enough to understand. However, when watching this dreaded sequel, you can’t help but wonder if Todd Phillips’s only motive for making this film is to tear everything down as punishment to those that enjoyed the original Joker the “wrong” way. To prove those claims, now it’s time to get into the major spoilers for Joker: Folie à Deux.

*Warning! The rest of this articles contains MAJOR spoilers for Joker: Folie à Deux. If you haven’t seen the movie yet and/or don’t want anything spoilers, then you might want to click off the article right now! You have been warned!*

We started off with an odd animated sequence that feels like it was ripped straight out of The People’s Joker (A.K.A. the best Joker film and even best comic book film of 2024), which sees the Joker being impersonated by his shadow. It’s his shadow that takes his place to perform the singing number for a tv show and then abandons him on stage half-undressed, before three policemen arrive and beat the shit out of him. This opening in of itself sets the stages of what’s to come for Joker: Folie à Deux, highlighting the difference between the Joker and Arthur Fleck. And it also even foreshadows the most awful and disturbing scene in the film which we will get to later!

Once we get to real time, we revisit Arthur Fleck, who has been in custody at Arkham State Hospital awaiting trial for the crimes he committed two years ago. His lawyer, Maryanne Stewart, seems to suggest that Arthur himself has dissociative identity disorder, which is basically a split personality. There’s the the normal, innocent Arthur Fleck side of him and there’s his evil, chaotic “Joker” side of him. She plans to argue to the judge that it was the “Joker” side of him that was responsible for committing the crimes he did and NOT Arthur Fleck himself.

Arthur meets another patient, Harleen Quinzel, or just strictly going by Lee, because this universe needs to be more serious and grim and the name “Harley Quinn” is too fun and jolly. Lee, much like a certain group of those that love the first film, felt empowered and inspired by what Arthur did in the previous film, while also looking up to him deeply. Much like Mr. Fleck, she grew up in the same neighborhood he did, had an abusive parent figure who died in a car crash, and went as far as to burn down her parents’ apartment building, which is what let her to be imprisoned at Arkham Asylum. She did all of those things just so she can one day meet her idol.

Lee wants to run away with Arthur, where the two can start a life together. Arthur, believing that he has finally found someone who loves him for what he is, wants to try and escape with here. Lee starts a fire to free the two of them from the prison but both are caught by the guards. While Arthur is put in solitary confinement, Lee has been released to avoid his influence. She promises to attend his trail and be there with him during his trial. All before they have the most awkward sex scene you have ever seen in your life, which makes you NOT want to look at the first officially released pic of Joker and Harley together EVER again!

*insert barf meme*

On the day of trial, Harvey Dent (who I completely forgot to mention in my review because of how irrelevant he is for the majority of it) calls witnesses to those dismiss Arthur’s claims of insanity, hoping this will leave to the death penalty for him when all is said and done (even though this film takes place in 1983 and the death penalty didn’t get reinstated in New York until 1995). With former co-worker Gary Puddles (who witnessed Arthur beat the death out of one of his co-workers) and neighbor Sophie Dumond (who was Arthur’s imaginary girlfriend in his hallucination) being brought forward to speak, Dent rest his case.

When getting back to Arthur’s relationship with Lee, his lawyer Maryanne reveals that she has lied to him quite a bit about her history. She was someone that grew up in the Upper East Side, NOT in Arthur’s neighborhood. Her father is a doctor and is still alive. Plus, she voluntarily committed herself at Arkham, checked herself out, and never burned down an apartment building. Because this is a film that is by design done to remove any sort of ambiguity from the first film, Lee tells Arthur that she lied to him because she wanted to get close to Arthur, hoping the two can one day be together. She also states that she’s pregnant and has moved into his old apartment building to create a home for them. Even though Lee literally JUST admitted to lying, Arthur believes her anyway and will make his best efforts for the two of them to be together by the end.

After going through uncomfortable sequences with Arthur getting brutally assaulted and prison raped by the guards (Yes, really!) and his friend Ricky being strangled to death for stepping up to them (Again, yes really!), Arthur reminisces about the aftermath of his actions in the first film, finally realizing all the terrible things he had done.

He killed people in cold blood, he led an army of supporters that were inspired by his Joker persona and not for his Arthur Fleck persona, there’s great many people in Gotham that want him dead, and worst of all, everyone now has the wrong idea of who Arthur Fleck is. He was able to be seen in the public eye the way he wanted but not in the way that he ever imagined. People still don’t like Arthur Fleck, they only like Joker.

In court the following day, during his closing argument, a devastated Arthur comes to terms with the fact that it was himself that was responsible for his actions, NOT his Joker half. In a statement that almost seems like Todd Phillips himself is directing a sincere apology and/or “F**k you!” to the audience of the first film, Arthur Fleck renounces his persona and takes full responsibility for his actions. There was never a “Joker” half of him, there is not even a Joker at all. It’s just Arthur Fleck himself, a sad, broken man with a tragic backstory and mental illness and NOTHING more!

At the exact moment that I imagined 90% of audience left the theaters, Lee storms out of the court room, enraged and disappointment. The Joker that she looked up to and worshiped doesn’t exist. This is NOT a movie which Lee and the audiences get to see Arthur Fleck be full Joker, this is a movie where they see the Joker in his cosplay make-up only, leaving just Arthur Fleck. The jury finds Arthur guilty of first-degree murder.

Out of nowhere, a car bomb explodes outside the courthouse, which injures and kills numerous attendees. In the process, it also scars HALF of Dent’s face, turning him into Two-Face supposedly. Two of Joker’s followers helps him escape from the courthouse. Once he regains his conscious, Arthur flees from the Joker supporters, realizing they only see him as Joker and not his actual self.

Arthur wanders through Gotham and makes way for his old apartment only to find Lee right outside of it. Arthur confesses that he’s ready to start a live with her but Lee rejects him. She admits that she only loved him as Joker and NOT as Arthur Fleck, stating exactly what the audience are feeling at that exact moment. She also claims that her pregnancy was another lie because……of course. As she leaves, the police apprehend Arthur and return him to Arkham.

It’s at this point where Arthur is basically right back where he started at the beginning of the film. The main difference is that he no longer has the Joker persona within himself. All of that love and support that Arthur got not as himself but as strictly Joker is all gone, leaving him sad, lonely, and broken once again.

As to add more salt to the wound, there’s a young patient that arrives, who Arthur has bumped into already a few times in the film (even kisses him at one point). He begins to tell him a joke, which is suppose to mirror the “joke” that he told Murray Franklin in the first film. And just like what happened during that moment when Arthur told his “joke” to Murray, the young patient tells Arthur that “YOU GET WHAT YOU F**KING DESERVE!” and proceeds to kill him. He stabs Arthur repeatedly in the stomach, leaving him to bleed to death. Just like that, Arthur basically got killed by his own original joke.

So the movie ends, and right before Arthur is 100% dead and one last song plays, the patent is seen in the background carving a smile on his own face while laughing hysterically. This moment is suppose to resembled Heath Ledger’s Joker from The Dark Knight (Fyi, NO I do NOT think those films are connected with one another whatsoever!). Even if Arthur Fleck was never the Joker, that doesn’t change the fact that his now dead persona has inspirited others and will lead to actual Jokers in the future. Arthur Fleck himself may be gone but his infamous legacy of the Joker will continue on.

So, yeah! I think you can now understand entirely why this film seems to be pissing people off! Instead of doing the most logical thing a sequel can do which is basically take the character to their next step forward, give the audience more of the same things they enjoyed about the original, and throw in a few new elements for good measure, Joker: Folie à Deux is a film that basically refuses to meet any one of those expectations whatsoever.

It doesn’t want to take the character of Arthur Fleck in a new and proper direction, it doesn’t want to commit to being labeled as strictly a musical, courthouse drama, or love story between Harley and the Joker, it doesn’t want to see Joker being on the top of it’s game, and it doesn’t want to expand upon this version of Gotham City in any meaningful way. All Todd Phillips seems to want to do is to sit the fans and critics of his previous film down, lecture them about how wrong/right they were with how they reacted to the previous film, and have it led to a resolution that prevents the general public’s wants or needs for a Joker 3 to happen.

To be sure, these elements themselves COULD have worked. After all, we are living in a time where superhero movies need some extra variety to them if they are to continue to dominate Hollywood blockbusters. Not to mention, fandom in any form of media have become more toxic and hateful than ever before, almost feeling appropriate to annihilate the “wrong” kind of fans that this stuff way too seriously. The problem isn’t so much that it chooses to go against the grain, but so much the film doesn’t necessarily know what grain it is trying to go against. It claims to be trying to avoid all these tropes yet still commits to them whenever the film requires it.

It doesn’t want to have a Joker in his prime and the big man of crime at Gotham City yet they keep showing fantasy sequences which hint at what a prime Joker would look like in this universe. It doesn’t want to be label as a musical but there are plenty of musical numbers here and has the presence of Lady Gaga that warrants calling it a musical. It doesn’t want to be the standard sequel that folks would have expected for a Joker sequel but ends up following the same beats from the original film regardless, right down to having the titled character being right back where he started before he even became the Joker, only to then be killed off in an unsatisfying way.

This isn’t so much a film that’s trying to have the best of both worlds but achieve the WORST of both worlds. It’s a film that basically fails at failing. No matter what way you look at or examine it, Joker: Folie à Deux doesn’t work in any form of capacity because it’s not trying to work in any form of capacity. When you do that, that’s how you get a low 30% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest scored comic book film ever on Cinemascore, and a opening weekend that is looking to be on par with Morbius (only there will be no memes to save it this time).

Todd Phillips after this weekend!

To tell you the truth, for as bad as Joker: Folie à Deux is and deserving it is for all the hate it is getting, I can’t help but grimace about how much of a bomb it’s going to be at the box office. Not strictly because of the narratives of superhero fatigue and theaters dying along with this being Todd Phillips’s plan so Warner Bros don’t ask him back for a Joker 3 come Monday morning but more how studios will take the wrong lesson from the film’s mostly negative reception. That being that filmmakers should have less creative control on their projects and more creative influence should be given by fans and focus groups.

I am of course talking about the recent reports of studios constructing superfan focus groups to evaluate various projects for franchises to avoid severe online backlash. With toxic fandom being at an INCREDIBLY all time high, studios are now looking to be much more careful with constructing their latest installments for said franchises in the hopes that it doesn’t lead to review bombings on big movie sites such as IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, online harassment of it’s main cast and crew, and countless hate YouTube videos made by mostly alt-right grifters. Films like Joker: Folie à Deux are the kind of ones that would have likely played out INCREDIBLY different if these so-called superfan focus groups were able to contribute. I mean, there’s NO way in hell that these groups would have approved of Arthur being killed off by the supposed “real” Joker at the end of the movie.

Because of that, I can’t help but feel like Joker: Folie à Deux as being the beginning of the end of this current era of blockbusters we are living in. Instead of getting filmmakers to make films based off their own desire, voice, and ambition, the majority of big films now will likely get completely reworked because it might make Super Fanboy #172 too angry since it didn’t have enough jokes, references, callbacks, or lightsaber fights. We are on the verge of living in an era of big movies being written directly by Reddit and ChatGPT. And that’s an absolutely BRUTAL future to think about!

While I highly doubt this will lead to a massive removal of characters that are black, person of color, female, or identify as LGBT+ as many folks have been speculating, it makes me think that blockbusters are going to be much more dumbed down than usual, even more so than they already are. Strong storytelling, great character development, and bold filmmaking will be abandoned for the sake of spectacle, easter eggs, and “fan service”, for those that don’t want to think during a film but just be strictly pandered too. I want to be more optimistic and believe this will lead to more quality mainstream films and franchises installments with studios being more open to feedback from real and honest fans but this is literally Hollywood we are talking about. They ALWAYS learn the wrong lesson for all their successes and failures, just like how I imagine they will for the likely box office failure that Joker: Folie à Deux will be.

Still, if Todd Phillips’s goal in all of this was to really waste 200 million dollars that Warner Bros gave him, while that company is on the verge of bankruptcy, and potentially put a final nail on the coffin to this rather bleak era of cinema we are living in to make for ANOTHER bleak era of cinema, then mission accomplished! It’s only then might we look back at Joker 2 as being the last special kind of bad movie that we will be getting for a very long time. Because of all that and more, who would have guessed that it would be Todd Phillips of all people that would get the last laugh in all of this!

Help us James Gunn, you are our only hope!

Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) Movie Review- Todd Phillips Gets The Last Laugh

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There’s a scene in Joker: Folie à Deux where Arthur and Lee are performing live on stage in a fantasy scene. Arthur rambles on how he doesn’t feel like they are giving the people what they want. Lee proceeds to say, “Come on, baby, let’s give the people what they want!” And instead of it leading to an exciting performance and musical number as the people would likely want, the next thing that happens is Lee shoots Arthur out of no where and then the scene is over. If you think that sounds like a spoiler for Joker 2, it’s not. Because that’s basically the entire movie in a nutshell.

The original Joker was one of the most bizarrely controversial films in recent memory. When it came out back in 2019, you basically had two opposing viewpoints about the movie. You had one side of the coin that was scared that it was gonna bring out the “wrong side” of the moviegoing public and fandom, leading to a repeat of the Aurora theater shooting that took place in 2012. Then you had the other side of the coin that wanted to use this film and it’s success as a means to “stick” it to “woke” media, as some sort of cultural war victory for straight white males. If you ask me, I didn’t see the original Joker as either one of those things at all.

It wasn’t the groundbreaking “anti-PC” masterpiece that it’s supporters were propping it up as nor the incel empowerment fantasy that it’s haters were trying to make it as. At it’s heart, the original Joker made for a pretty good “what if” scenario if someone dared to make an origin story based off a famous comic book character that is the LAST person in the world who should have an origin story. Yes, it was definitely a derivative mix of Martin Scorsese movies (A.K.A. The King of Comedy meets Taxi Driver) and Batman lore but it was well-made, well-acted, and entertaining enough that it could overcome that for me.

If you also take into the fact that the movie ended up grossing a billion dollars, nominated for a bunch of Oscars, winning some Oscars (For Best Actor and Best Original Score to be exact), and that the film never really caused an uprising of glorified incels or deplorables of any kind, you would think that director Todd Phillips would have every reason to ignore all that outrage and see the film as a success. However, if Joker 2 is anything to go by, it seems Mr. Phillips have managed to side with the haters of his supposed magnum opus.

Joker: Folie à Deux (I’m just gonna call it Joker 2 after this!) is perhaps the most self-loathing, neglect driving mainstream film I’ve seen in quite some time. It’s the kind of film that basically is ashamed of everything that it seems to dip it’s toes into. It’s ashamed of being a comic book/superhero film, it’s ashamed of being a musical, it’s ashamed of being a court house drama, it’s ashamed of being a commentary on mental illness, it’s ashamed of being a Joker sequel, and worst of all, it’s ashamed of it’s own mere existence. It’s not just strictly a pointless sequel that didn’t need to exists, it’s also a pointless sequel that the film ITSELF doesn’t want to exist either.

The only goal that Toad Phillips has in mind throughout the film’s entire two hour and 15 minute long runtime is to lecture the kind of folks that idolized Joker as a hero from the first film and assumed all along that Homelander in The Boys was the real hero of that show. Outside of some impressive technical achievements and solid performances, Joker 2 has nothing going for it at all. It is a film that’s not only made for no one but it’s PROUD of the fact that it’s not made for any one. Not even director Todd Phillips himself.

Premise: Taking place two years after the events of the first film, Arthur Fleck ( Joaquin Phoenix) is institutionalized at Arkham, awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker. It’s during his time there that Arthur really starts to wonder if Arthur Fleck and the Joker are two separate things, questioning if it was the “Joker” half that was responsible for committing the murders he did and NOT Arthur Fleck himself. While struggling with his dual identity, Arthur not only stumbles upon true love with a woman named Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga), but also finds the music that’s always been inside him.

The main selling points for Joker 2 had to do with going down a more musical route and getting a talented musician/actress herself in Lady Gaga to portray the iconic Harleen Quinzel. All the while answering questions of the aftermath of the first movie, that basically amounts to addressing the bizarre controversy that it got. Those elements in of itself aren’t the worst ideas ever but the way that Joker 2 goes about those ideas doesn’t do the film any favors whatsoever. Because no matter what you are coming to this sequel with the clown prince of crime for, you are likely not going to be satisfied.

Were you hoping to see Joker in his prime and on top of crime in Gotham City? Well, too bad! Instead, we are just gonna have him rot in the Arkham Asylum and court horse for the majority of the movie, where Arthur is barely the Joker at all until a random song number appears or when the plot requires it.

Were you hoping for a romantic musical that adds depth and nuance to the relationship of Joker and Harley Quinn than ever before? Well, too bad! Instead, we are going to insert these musical numbers in the most awkwardly ways possible that barley advances the plot and characters while grinding the pacing to a screeching halt every time they come up! Oh, and we aren’t actually gonna call it a musical even though it’s CLEARLY a musical because…….comic book fans hate musicals and that could ruin the pre-release marketing.

Were you hoping this would at least set up a Joker 3 which sees Joker meeting Batman for the first time ever? Well, too bad! Instead, we will have this entire film build up to a conclusion that tears down the entire foundation of this franchise, have it feel like nothing was accomplished and basically makes a Joker 3 literally impossible! No Robert Pattinson or Christian Bale Batman in Joker 3 for you!

At it’s core, Joker 2 basically acts as an epilogue to the first movie instead of a progressive sequel. Similar to M. Night Shyamalan’s infamous Glass (another sequel that didn’t really need to exist), we see the film’s protagonist being put in a position where he can’t be a threat or curiosity to the audience or anyone around him in the movie.

It’s been two years passed and EVERYONE knows the issues he has and the potential threats he could cause, which makes nearly every scene in Arkham Asylum and courthouse tedious to sit through. Much like Glass, Joker 2 spends the majority of it’s runtime obsessing over irrelevant questions of the state of mind that are basically designed to kill any source of ambiguity that it’s predecessor(s) had and beat you over the head with what Todd Phillips is trying to say about the response that his previous film got.

To be sure, Joker 2‘s biggest sin isn’t necessarily the fact that it choses to go against the grain and defy expectations. After all, we are in an age where we are seeing comic book/superhero movies take a bit of a decline and it’s always welcome to spice things up to make the subgenre stand out better in the long run. However, not only does Joker 2 find ZERO material of it’s own to fill in those expected gaps but it doesn’t find any real reason or purpose for doing so other than to just troll the audience and make sure they do NOT demand a Joker 3.

If there’s any saving grace to this motion picture, that would be with the technical achievements. The film looks gorgeous, capturing the aesthetic and feel of it’s setting very well, with fantastic cinematography by returning cinematographer Lawrence Sher. The costumes and make-ups effects are inspired, even if it’s used effectively less than the first film. The score by Hildur Guðnadóttir isn’t nearly as impressive and immersive as the first one but it gets the job done, even if it doesn’t help the musical numbers stand out. I would imagine if Joker 2 somehow is able to get nominated for anything at the Oscars this time around, it might as well be for production design and technical achievements. After all, Suicide Squad of all movies was able to win an Oscar.

Joaquin Phoenix is still solid as Arthur Fleck but he feels much more restricted this time around, not getting a chance to stand out as well as the first film. Due to Phillips wanting to strap the Joker of his makeup this time around, you never really get to see Phoenix go into full Joker form like I imagine most fans wanted. Instead of taping into that unhinged, fearful, and funny mindset of the Joker that the ending of the first film teased, he basically is given no choice but to act as the sad and broken man that Arthur is and not so much as the crown prince of crime. Even when he is given a chance to go full Joker during a scene at a court house, he doesn’t come across as scary or disturbing but just annoying and obnoxious. I don’t blame Phoenix for this but the direction that Phillips choose to take with the titled character here really holds him back from being the true Joker we all know and love.

Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn (or I’m sorry Lee) fairs much worse here. While Gaga does the best she can and is clearing singing her heart out whenever she needs to, she isn’t given much to do here other than to sing and be a Joker fangirl. She doesn’t resemble anything that fans have loved about the character of Harley Quinn other than being mindlessly in love with Mr. J, once again proving just how much Phillips seems to just detest these characters and the superhero movie subgenre in general. Her and Phoenix don’t gel as well together as they should because their relationship comes across as a complete afterthought to everything else happening here, only appearing together when Arthur needs motivational support. That’s not even mentioning the large amount of trailer footage with her that was cut from the finished film. It’s baffling how the one aspect that Joker 2 should have gotten right easily, it bungles it spectacularly.

Joker 2 is by and large the worst kind of sequel. Not only because it’s one that clearly hates it’s predecessor and it’s audience but it hates itself. It’s only exists because the first film made a billion dollars and was nominated for a bunch of Oscars. Because of that, we get a sequel that basically undoes everything that the first film established. Not by accident but strictly ON purpose!

The story and direction are non-existent, the musical segments are tedious and comes across as a distraction, the court house scenes are nonsensical and a chore to sit through, the romance between Arthur and Lee is barley explored, the Joker himself is hardly in it, and it all leads to an ending that makes the two Joker films feel utterly pointless.

This is almost as if Todd Phillips is punishing the studios, the general audience, and himself for being forced to make a sequel, along with making sure that we NEVER get another film set in this universe again. And we all end up worst for it!

I’ll give Mr. Phillips credit though. For as divisive as the first Joker film was, he managed to make a sequel that is basically universally hated, bringing both critics AND audiences together to dunk on his latest trash heap. And considering we are a month away from the most controversial election in America’s history, one that will likely lead us to a war of some kind regardless of who wins, that is most impressive.

I never in a million years would imagine that it would be Joker 2 of all things that brings everyone together before the inevitable arises. That might just be the greatest joke of all.

Other comments:

  • I was originally gonna give this one out of four stars but considering that is the ranking Todd Phillips would want me to give it, I’m going with one and a half out of four stars instead. Take that, Mr. Phillips!

  • Also, it’s obvious that Mr. Phillips didn’t do his historic research. The death penalty wasn’t reinstated in New York until 1995. This movie takes place in 1983!

  • I would certainly love to watch this film side-by-side with Martin Scorsese!

  • This film has a sex scene so awkward and forced that even Zack Snyder would cringe watching it.

  • This film and Megalopolis sure would make for a perfect back-to-back double feature! Two absolute disaster pieces made by directors who clearly got to make the films they wanted but it’s still complete and utter shit! I guess some folks do in fact need some restraint from studios!

  • If you want to see a recent DC project involving a well known Batman villain, just watch The Penguin! It does EVERYTHING that these Joker films try to do a million times better!

  • I plan to do a spoiler post about the ending of the film in the next few days.

  • Also, there’s literally a moment where the Arkham guards rape Arthur! I’m not even joking!

Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018)- Game Perspective/Review

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Lara Croft was given her next entry in 2018 with the release of Shadow of the Tomb Raider. This acted as a sequel to 2015’s Rise of the Tomb Raider and the 12th main installment in the Tomb Raider franchise, as well as the third and final entry of the Survivor trilogy. However, this time around, the game would NOT be made by Crystal Dynamics, in large part due to their commitment to Marvel’s Avengers. It would be Eidos-Montreal taking over developing duties with Square Enix Europe publishing the game. Crystal Dynamics did offer full support during the making of the game.

Development for Shadow of the Tomb Raider began shortly after the completion of Rise of the Tomb Raider, lasting until July 2018. It was designed to be the conclusion to Lara’s journey that started with the 2013 reboot, with a key theme being descent both through the jungle environment and into her personality. The setting and narrative was based on Mayan and Aztec mythologies, with the team consulting historians to create the architecture and accurately portray the people of Paititi. The gameplay was adjusted based on both fan feedback from the previous two games and the additions that Eidos-Montreal wanted to incorporate, most notably swimming and grappling while increasing difficulty tailoring. The game cost an estimated of 110 to 135 million dollars to make, making it one of the most expensive games ever made.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider released on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows on September 14th, 2018, later releasing on the Linux, macOs, and Stadia in November 2018. The game did receive generally positive reviews but not nearly on the same level as the previous two games. While it was praised for putting more emphasis on the challenge tombs and puzzles, others have felt that the gameplay for this rebooted set of games had gotten stale and no longer have any innovation to boot. Despite the initial slow sales, the game would eventually sell nearly nine million copies worldwide, a total of 8.9 million to be exact.

When it comes to the three games of the Survivor trilogy, Shadow is probably the one that I remember the least. At the time it came out, I was still on cloud nine with Marvel’s Spider-Man and didn’t pay much attention to this game, despite being a big fan of the first two games. I did Redbox the game back when they still had games you could rent and never went back to it after that. I was able to get the game for free when it came out for the PlayStation Plus. For what I recall, I was rather lukewarm against the game. I enjoyed it well enough but felt it didn’t hold a candle to it’s predecessors.

Now that plenty of time has passed and I’ve gone back to the game since, how does Shadow of the Tomb Raider hold up now? Let’s find out!

Story:

Taking places months after the events of Rise of the Tomb Raider, Lara Croft and her friend Jonah have dedicated themselves to stop the Trinity from doing any possible damage to the world. The two track trinity to the city of Cozumel, Mexico, uncovering an operation that was led by the head of Trinity’s High Council, Pedro Dominguez. Upon investigating the city’s tombs, Lara uncovers a dagger, which references a hidden city and a “silver box”. Despite the dagger being accompanied by murals portraying a Mayan apocalypse, Lara ignores the warnings and takes the dagger. However, she is captured by Dominguez and takes the dagger, informing Lara that her actions have triggered a series of events that will to the Mayan apocalypse that is referred to as “The Cleansing”. An apocalypse that Trinity believes would bring an end to the Sun. Dominguez states that he will bring a stop to The Cleansing and remake the world in his image with the power of the dagger and silver box.

The first strike with this upcoming apocalypse starts with a tsunami that destroys Cozumel. Lara and Jonah are able to survive but their actions cost the homes and lives of the townspeople. Tensions rises between the pair which Lara insists on going after Trinity and the box on her own. Jonah, however, refuses, and demands that they stay to help the townspeople. The first cataclysm of the apocalypse begins with a tsunami destroying Cozumel. Lara and Jonah are able to escape, but tensions between the pair rise as Lara insists on going after Trinity and the box, versus Jonah’s desire to help the townspeople. Despite the pair on the verge of breaking, the two track down Dominguez to the Amazon.

It’s then that the mission with Lara and Jonah is clear: stop Dominguez and Trinity from trying to rebuild the world or all of their missions against the trinity will be for nothing. As the journey goes on, Lara becomes more unhinged as she discovers more about the Trinity and the ties to her past. If her mission is successful, Lara Croft will at long last become known as the definite Tomb Raider.

When looking at the story for Shadow of the Tomb Raider as a whole, it’s a frustratingly mixed bag. It contains both the very best and very worst plot aspects of the rebooted Tomb Raider franchise. Shadow is confirmed to have different writers compared to the previous two games and it’s clear as daylight, much like how it was noticeable that Arkham Knight had different writers compared to Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. While this story might have worked strongly as it’s own thing, it’s biggest downfall is trying to tie it in to previous two games, making the entire foundation of the Survivor trilogy collapses within itself.

Remember that James Bond film that came out a number of years ago called Spectre? Much like Shadow, that was an entry into the franchise that tried to tie everything together from the previous Daniel Craig films, to have the film acted as some sort of culmination of the rebooted 007 films thus year. However, because it was obvious this was not planned out from day one, it didn’t work in the slightest because of how little the connections made any sense in the grand scheme of things. Instead of expanding upon the world of James Bond, it just made that world feel much smaller and carry less weight than before.

That’s something that the story of Shadow of the Tomb Raider unfortunately falls victim too. In it’s attempt to tie the villain clan of The Trinity to the previous two games, making it feel like they were the ones behind the troubles that Lara has gone through during this entire trilogy, it makes everything the game attempts to expand upon feel very contrived and unnatural in every way. Not only introducing a number of retcons to the previous games in an attempt to connect what was previously interconnective plotlines, but it makes The Trinity as a whole comes across as rather stupid and not as threatening as before.

The only real moments that work with The Trinity is when they try to guilt trip Lara into the troubles she caused up to this point. The fact that she has killed and slaughtered so many people and found herself chasing her own footsteps basically makes her no different to her enemy counterpart. That in of itself plays a role in Lara’s arc where she is much more unhinged than rather before, making her feel a bit like a villain in some cases. While that might put off die hard fans that always see Lara as a hero who rarely does much evil, Shadow of the Tomb Raider is actually able to make that story aspect work more than it should.

Speaking of which, if there is one thing that the story of Shadow does rather well, it’s wrapping up the story arc of Lara Croft respectively. If you take away the rather forced connections with the previous two games regarding The Trinity, the main development for how main character feels rather whole by the end of the game, making it really feel like Lara at long last has become the true Tomb Raider. It’s a similar fashion as to how satisfying it felt for Peter Parker to finally become the true Spider-Man by the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Even if the overall arc was a slow burn and occasionally rather muddled, it all feels worth it by the end with the way we see our main protagonist develop and changed throughout the course of three installments.

It’s especially interesting to see Lara be more expressive and unhinged this time around, sometimes letting her emotions get the better of here. You really get the sense that Lara has all the pressure in the world on her shoulders here and can not afford any more screw ups. There is no effort to paint Lara Croft as a flawless goddess who can do no wrong. Even if she is given as much plot armor as a video game could provide, she does still have her faults and obstacles that she must overcome. If there is one saving grace to the overall story, it is exactly what is done with Lara Croft herself here.

I still can’t help but wish they just brought back Rhianna Pratchett to write the story as she did with previous games. At least then, the story would have felt more cohesive and you likely wouldn’t have these forced tie-ins and unneeded retcons to make the story work. If this was it’s own thing or even the first chapter of the trilogy, it would have fared much better. But to have a climax which feels the needed to introduce several things, disregarded several things from the previous installments, and then tries to tie all of those things at once, it makes the storytelling feel rather clunky and just messy all around. While Shadow deserves credit for bringing it’s main iconic gaming heroine to the finish line by the end, there are PLENTY of trips and falls along the way that make the whole ride feel more bumpy than it should have been.

Gameplay:

As with the previous two games, Shadow of the Tomb Raider is a third person action-adventure game where you take control of Lara Croft as she explore environments across Mexico and Peru. There is also a large hub in the hidden city of Paititi,  In these hubs, Lara can raid challenge tombs to unlock new rewards, complete side missions, and scavenge for resources which can be used to craft useful materials.

The gameplay have been giving numerous adjustments along with a few new features. Like it’s predecessors, the game allows players to hunts wild animals, craft materials using resources collected, solves puzzles, and seek out optional tombs and side guests. Shadow in particular features large tombs and more complex puzzles than before in this reboot series. The kind of tombs and puzzles you will have to think for yourself in order to solve it or just cop out and watch a YouTube video on it. That in of itself should make Shadow of the Tomb Raider the most faithful of the new rebooted Tomb Raider games by design. However, there is definitely more to it.

The controls for swimming have been revised, as Lara is able to hold her breath underwater for a longer period of time thanks to the inclusion of air pockets. She has the ability to rappel down a cliff using her climbing axe and rope. Stealth is more important here than before, as Lara is able to disengage from combat when she escapes from enemies’ line of sight by camouflaging herself in mud, hiding in bushes, or blending into densely vegetated surfaces. There’s also a new barter system that allows players to trade and sell various resources gathered from the areas surrounding Paititi. It’s these kind of adjustments and additions that make Shadow of the Tomb Raider stand out in the best and worst ways possible.

Players have the option to tailor their gameplay experience in combat, puzzles, and exploration with their own difficulty settings. An Immersion Mode enables players to hear the background conversations of the locals in their native languages, when turned off the conversations are heard in the players’ chosen voice over language.

Concept wise, the gameplay should stand out as the very best of the rebooted trilogy. The combat is much more toned down compared to the previous two games, there has been much extra time giving to the puzzle solving and exploration, and there are more challenge tombs to raid then ever before. Yet, there is something that feels a bit off about it.

There is certainly nothing here that is inherently broken or even bad. The controls work exactly the way they are suppose to, the combat is fun during the moments you are encountering enemies, it’s nice to see Lara exploring these multiple different cults and regions, and solving puzzle and tomb certainly require strategy which you would have to think the tactics instead of just mindlessly running and jumping your way through. Oddly enough, it’s the new adjustments that Eidos-Montreal makes here that kinda hinders the game rather than expanding upon it.

You have the upgrade system that is more convoluted than before, taking forever for certain systems to upgrade and feeling way too scattershot. You have a combat and stealth system that are way too tweaked to the point of it feeling rather dumbed down instead of feeling like a legit progression from the previous two games. You have platforming segments and set pieces that are competently put together but lack the cinematic and shock factor of the previous two games. You are given more challenge tombs but they can really muddled with the pacing of beating the main campaign, to the point where going after them feels like a slog and will just slow you down entirely. And you have action sequences that feel too restricted for the first two thirds of the game and only really deliver fully until the last third of the game. For every step forward that the gameplay of Shadow of the Tomb Raider takes, it then takes an immediate step backward.

You really do get a sense that the Crystal Dynamics that made the previous two games were not fully in charge with Shadow of the Tomb Raider. It’s clear that Eidos-Montreal wanted to put their own stamp on the series while embracing many aspects of the first two games. However, just like the story, it feels more like they have to disregarded certain aspects to make that happen, making the experience feel much more muddled than what obviously was attended. If this had been the first game in the reboot series, these flaws might be more acceptable. But after two fantastic games where the gameplay was as smooth and polished as it were, the standards have been held so high that Shadow just can’t reach it.

That’s not to say the gameplay of Shadow of the Tomb Raider is bad in general. It’s definitely competent, playable, and even fun in most areas. However, after the previous two games were able to deliver all of that and more, there is something that leaves much more to be desired here. While certain above average for a main triple A modern game, Shadow of the Tomb Raider definitely feels much more average to below average compared to Tomb Raider (2013) to Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Graphics:

Graphically, the game is just as impressive as it’s predecessors, if not more so in a number of areas. This is probably one of the best looking games of the generation. The attention to texture is on full display, especially with how realistic the mud looks on Lara. The way that the mud moves and leaves trails whenever Lara looks is as convincing as a mud trail has ever looked in a video game. I didn’t think anything could top the snow and water looks of Rise of the Tomb Raider but I was dead wrong.

The motion capture work is very strong as well, clearly being as up to date with technology as you could imagine, helping making the characters movements and animations look as realistic as possible. Although, I kinda wish they didn’t change Lara’s facial expressions and models that much. She looks good but feel more pale and average looking compared to the first two games, almost what you would expect her to look back in 2013 but NOT in 2018. I still think that Lara’s model in Rise of the Tomb Raider was the way to go.

Sound:

Similar to the first two games, Shadow of the Tomb Raider had a different composer at the helm in Brian D’Oliveria. I guess the approach for the Survivor trilogy was to bring in multiple composers that could bring their own voice to the score with each individual installment. Sadly, Shadow has probably the weakest soundtrack of the three games. There was hardly any track that stood out in the ways that they did with the first two games. Not even familiar tracks from the previous two games make a presence here. Instead of the music pumping me way and giving me a much needed energy boost along the way, it does nothing more than just create sound during sequences that need it.

The voice acting and motion capture performances, on the other hand, is terrific. Camilla Luddington gives perhaps her best performance to date as Lara Croft. Thanks to the script giving her more emotional and dramatic moments to act out and the motion capture being as good as they ever been, you can feel Camilla’s facial expressions, emotions, and presence throughout every scene that she is in. Earl Babylon as Jonah also stands out much better here than in the previous game, especially how his character is given more depth and moments where he has to snap Lara out of putting the entire world on her shoulders. The final installment of a trilogy should give plenty of opportunities for the actors to deliver their best and most vulnerable performances to date and everyone did just that.

Downloadable Content:

Shadow of the Tomb Raider released several chapters of DLC that expanded upon the game’s narrative. Each one of these chapters run parallel to the main storyline and the focus on an additional tomb. This is where Lara discovers the source of Mayan influence in Peru, solving the mystery of a missing oil worker, locates an artefact to bolster Unuratu’s rebellion, and then finds a secret that could threaten it. Lara then confronts her own fears as searches for a weapon, leading her to learn of the tragedy that shaped Amaru’s decision to join Trinity. She aids a group of rebels taken by the Cult of Kukulkan, investiage a disturbance at a local temple that turns into a trap laid by Trinity, and learns the fate of the Yaaxil that survived the battle with Trinity.

A season pass was available that gave players access to seven paths of DLC, which included new narratives, missions, tombs, weapons, outfits, and skills. A version bundling together the main game and DLC, Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, releasing on November 4th, 2019.

Personally, I found the DLC for Rise of the Tomb Raider to be much more satisfying than this one. Whereas those put more focus on providing extra characterization to Lara Croft, Shadow puts more emphasis on the main villains which I never really cared for in the main series and just adds more convoluted lore to the franchise. If you picked up the Definitive Edition at a reasonable price, then it’s worth a go. However, if you missed out on it back when the game first came out, you didn’t miss out on much.

Conclusion:

Despite the majority of the review being constructive criticism, Shadow of the Tomb Raider is NOT a bad game. It still does have enough what you would want for a quality Tomb Raider experience. It provides the right mix of combat, platforming and puzzle solving, there are more challenge tombs than ever before, it looks stunning, the voice action is top notch, and it does bring a nice logical end to Lara’s arc of her early days as a Tomb Raider. However, it just can’t seem to quite escape those it’s own “going through the motions” feel to it and the story basically gives hindered by trying to tie itself to the previous two games instead of feeling enhanced.

The combat, platforming, and puzzle solving are fine but they don’t feel evaluated to the next level like the previous two games. There are more challenge tombs than ever but you don’t feel as eager to go out of your own way and find them yourself. It concludes Lara’s own arc in a meaningful way but everything around here, from the villains to retcons of the lore, are rather half assed and certainly doesn’t add to the foundation of the first two games. I don’t know if this is because Crystal Dynamics didn’t return this time nor did Rhianna Pratchett return to write the script this time around but Shadow of the Tomb Raider just lacks that overall “WOW!” factor that Tomb Raider (2013) and Rise of the Tomb Raider had.

I would still recommend the game to fans of the series and gamers alike for the right price, especially for those that just want to see how Lara’s overall story wraps up for the Survivor trilogy. However, I just can’t help that the game didn’t live up to it’s fullest potential. There are definitely glimmers here and there for this to be the absolute best and most faithful Tomb Raider game ever made but it can just never quite reach the heights of it’s ambition, instead feeling like it’s get bogged down by them.

Still, I did have fun going back to these games and taking a little trip down memory lane. The newest Tomb Raider Netflix series, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, is set to premiere on October 10th! Let us all wish nothing for the best for the Tomb Raider we all know and love!

Thank you so much to all of those that tuned in for this marathon! Please follow and keep up to date on future content on his blog!

The Wild Robot (2024) Movie Review- DreamWorks’s Odyssey

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DreamWorks Animation has had quite a history and reputation throughout it’s existence. They are probably the most hit-and-miss major animation studio out there. Whenever they have a hit, it’s up there with among the best animated features out there, rivaling the very best of other big animation studios out there such as Disney, Pixar, and Studio Ghibli. Whenever they have a miss, it’s down there with some of the very worst animated features out there, rivaling the very worst of infamous animation studios such as Sony Animation (the Spider-Verse movies and the original Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs aside) and Illumination (the Super Mario Bros Movie and the original Despicable Me aside). Regardless of what you think of DreamWorks personally, they are certainly…..an interesting company to say the least.

However, things are changing MASSIVELY for the company with the release of The Wild Robot. It’s set to be the final film to be animated entirely in-house by DreamWorks, with every future animated release moving forward being operated heavily with outside animation studios. They also got an animation legend in Chris Sanders to helm this picture, the man who directed animated classics such as Lilo & Stitch and How To Train Your Dragon and has writing credits for many beloved Disney classics from the 90s such as The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Mulan. Putting those two important, distinct factors side-by-side, you would think that DreamWorks and everyone involved with The Wild Robot will want to end this wild, uneven in-house run of theirs with an absolute bang! Well, I’m proud to claim that they did all of that and more!

The Wild Robot is my favorite film of the year and is easily one of the best DreamWorks films ever made. It represents the pinnacle of DreamWorks Animation, delivering one last final triumph before they have to rely on other tools and resources for the immediate future. The animation is jaw droppingly gorgeous, the characters are all engaging, endearing, and wonderful to follow, the voice cast is all terrific with everyone being 100% committed to their role, the musical score is mesmerizing and carries the film on it’s own on several occasions, and the way it tackles the themes surrounding survival, parenthood, kindness, purpose, and coexistence is nothing short of marvelous. If you are looking for an animated film that is manages to cross that fine line between being fun and entertaining for kids and smart and engaging for adults, look no further than with DreamWorks’s latest masterwork, The Wild Robot.

Plot Synopsis: We find a robot known as ROZZUM Unit 7134 (Lupita Nyong’o), A.K.A. Roz, that has been abandoned on a deserted island full of wild animals, with no memory of who she is or where she came from. These wild animals don’t take too kindly to Roz’s arrival, believing her to be some sort of monster that was sent to exterminate them. As she learns to adapt to the wilderness with these other estranged animals that don’t seem to like her or even each other, Roz finds herself having to take care for a little gosling (Boone Storme), due to the death of his parents, which Roz may or may not have been responsible for. All the while she casually meets a mischievous red fox named Fink (Pedro Pascal), who, despite his sneaky and snarky attitude, helps the two of them with their battle of nature vs nurture among the other animal presence on the island.

Roz makes it her mission and purpose to be the mother of this goose, which is named Brightbill (Kit Connor), and raise him to be one with the other birds before she can return to where she originated from. However, the more that Roz spends time on the island with her batch of furry friends, family, and foes, the more she begins to realize she might just be more than just a soulless mindless A.I. robot that she was initially programmed to be. It’s then Roz must decide where her true home lies! In the wild forest with the animals or back with Universal Dynamics, the production company where she was created from?!

On the surface, you can probably guess all the impressive achievement that The Wild Robot is able to accomplish! Yes, the animation is BEYOND gorgeous with perfect artwork, character models, and texture to boost! Yes, there is plenty of funny gags and emotional beats that both kids and adults will react the way they are intended to! Yes, the voice cast and score is incredibly strong and should get numerous nominations for every award show out there! And yes, they manage to make another film about A.I. but never EVER feeling like it was written by one! But the most impressive achievement of The Wild Robot for me is how complex, multilayered and thematically packed it is for a story that, if we are being honest, has been told many times before!

There definitely are story elements throughout The Wild Robot that contains DNA of earlier animated pictures such as The Iron Giant, Fly Away Home, Ice Age, Wall-E, and even Chris Sanders’s own How To Train Your Dragon. However, it’s these themes and layers that The Wild Robot presents that helps make this story stand out as it’s own unique thing. So much so that it feels like we are seeing this story being told for the first time ever despite it being told several times before. Instead of borrowing plot elements from other beloved animated films and doing nothing else with it, it’s CONSTNATLY throwing curveballs at you with the way it goes about these traditional tropes and story beats. This is makes certain predictable story beats actually feel unpredictable in the way that it’s actually done and told throughout the film. This is something that Sanders himself did greatly in How To Train Your Dragon and he perhaps has done it even better here with The Wild Robot.

The Wild Robot is a story of many things! This is a story about the means of natural survival in an estranged, nurtured wilderness. This is a story about discovering our own purpose while helping others discover theirs along the way. This is a story about technology and animals co-existing with one another in a more futuristic Earth. This is a story about how the pros of A.I. can outweighs the cons of A.I. if we allow it. This is a story about unexpected parenthood and how your child grows up fast right before your eyes. This is a story about the needs to come together in a time of crisis or else all will be lost. And at it’s heart, this is a story about the odyssey that DreamWorks Animation has created throughout it’s history and how it will never be the same after this movie.

There’s not a single theme here that feels half baked or put together, there’s not a single setup that doesn’t have a proper payoff, there’s not a single plot thread that doesn’t have a connective tissue, and there’s not a single character arc that gets lost in the shuffle. It’s able to juggle so much while somehow not managing to feel disjointed or loose. Regardless of what overall story arc you like the most, you should no doubt be satisfied with the way that specific arc wraps up by the end. Even if at times I did question a story direction or two, it later on answered it in a satisfying and logical away that it wiped out any mild concerns. The amount of plates is able to spend in the air at once and how many hoops it dares to jump through is able to make the film stand out in ways that it had no business of doing so. This is animation and multilayered storytelling at it’s finest and The Wild Robot might just be the next prime example for that.

For as much development that Roz herself is giving throughout the film, it simply wouldn’t work without the excellent vocal performance from Lupita Nyong’o herself. She is able to evaluate every sequence of the film where she is required to. It’s that perfect sense of optimism and joy she brings on display that bring that extra two dimensions to the character, especially when Roz becomes more human and less mechanical as the film progresses. You just know the exact moments when Roz is still in her “A.I.” form as she was initially programmed and the moments where she grows beyond that while living among the wilderness with the other animals. All of that is thanks to Lupita Nyong’o, that is able to provide heart and soul to a character that by designed is not suppose to have a heart and soul, at least until she actually does. If the Academy Awards didn’t have a such a hate boner for animated films, I could definitely see her be nominated for Best Actress come next Spring.

The rest of the voice cast is genuinely terrific as well. Pedro Pascal brings plenty of energy and levity to the character of Fink, a fox that believes himself to be selfish at the start but then becomes more selfless as he evolves with Roz, Brightbill, and the others. Kit Connor as Brightbill is able to share the beating heart of the story with Nyong’o’s Roz, a young goose who, like Roz herself, is trying to adapt with the others as someone more “special”. Boone Strome also does good as the younger, more joyful version of Brightbill. Catherine O’Hara fits well in her role as Pinktail, the mother figure that Roz needs to learn to fit into in order to complete her mission. Bill Nighy as Longneck and Ving Rhames work well as the wise elder goose and falcon who helps Roz teach Brightbill how to fly high in the sky. Stephanie Hsu’s Vontra is incredibly suited as basically the closest thing that this film has to a main antagonist, even if she really only plays a major factor in the third act. And while Mark Hamill and Matt Berry’s characters of Thorn and Paddler aren’t in the film nearly as much as you would expect with big name actors, they blend together just well and even unrecognizably with the rest of the cast whenever they appear on screen.

There’s not enough great things you can say about the animation in The Wild Robot. It is purely stunning and a treat for the eyes from the beginning to the very end. There are so many beautifully done sequences that will take your breath away from both a visual and emotional standpoint, so many frame shots that you will want hung on the wall in your room, and so much imagery that adds to the pure visual and layered storytelling on display. Sanders has gone on record that he took inspiration from traditional Disney classics and the works of Hayao Miyazaki and he’s able to find that perfect balance to make the animation stand out in it’s own, unique form. Even in an age where just about every animated movie looks good, The Wild Robot shows that there is still plenty of room for animation to grow and push unexpected boundaries. This proves once again why animation is a medium that needs to be taken more seriously. You could not tell a story this good without the stellar animation to back it up every step of the way.

And of course, a special shoutout has to go to the composer Kris Bowers. The Wild Robot has one of the best scores of any film this year and perhaps any animated film in recent memory. It’s able to fit the tone and mood of every single scene, managing to find the right tune that perfectly captures the emotion that the characters and audience are suppose to feel at every given moment. In some ways, the score kinda feels like a character of it’s own, being able to fit right in with Roz, Brightbill, Fink, and the others, as they learn to grow and adapt into something of their own. That is about the best possible compliment you can give a film score and Bowers certainly earns it with his tremendous work here.

For a film where at least 99% of it’s cast is not human, The Wild Robot manages to be the most human feeling film I’ve seen in 2024. That one glimmer of joy and optimism in a world that is filled with sadness and despair. It’s one of those rare films that manages to be about everything but also is able to make room for everything at the same time. Just like with any movie I give a 4 out of 4 star rating to (Yes, that is the rating I’m giving this film!), there are definitely nits you can pick such as certain side characters being too sidelined and the pacing feeling a bit too breakneck at points, but the journey that The Wild Robot takes you will make everything feel completely whole by the end of it.

The most bittersweet part of The Wild Robot is how the overall arc of Roz can be seen as the direction DreamWorks plans to take moving forward. Even when being controlled by a mechanical and soulless corporation like Universal that is taking advantage of them for one distinct purpose (A.K.A. making money) and nothing more, there will still be a heart and soul DreamWorks will find within themselves that will make them continue to stand out in ways that go beyond what Disney, Pixar, Sony, or Illumination are capable off. The lows will still remain but the highs will make it all worth it by the end.

Thank you to all the folks at DreamWorks who worked in-house for the company and I hope the very best awaits you in the future!

Other comments:

  • I STRONGLY recommend staying through the credits. Not only because there is in fact a post credits scene but as a dedication to all the hardworking folks at DreamWorks, as they will now be outsourced by other animation studios overseas. It would mean the world to the animators and artists that worked on this masterpiece!

  • I’m relieved how we can have an animated kids film in 2024 that actually makes jokes about death and isn’t afraid to have characters say “kill” all the time.

  • This feels like the kind of animated film that I would watch with my brother and mom during the summer theater kids/family marathon that would always play at my theaters. I’m sure this film will be replaying CONSTANTLY throughout the next several summers!

  • Lupita Nyong’o has probably the most soothing voice ever!

  • We seriously need to talk more about Chris Sanders and all the amazing things he has contributed to animation. He has been responsible for several of our favorite Disney and DreamWorks movies since we were a child. The man just deserves more respect!

  • Also, one random fact, did you know that Chris Sanders also does the voice of Stitch as well? That is just……remarkable!

Rise of the Tomb Raider (2015) Game Retrospective/Perspective/Review

Adam1 Comment

Not gonna lie, I can’t decide if I should call this a “retrospective” or “perspective”. That is mostly because a lot of time has passed since this game came out but not quite enough to where it can be considered “retro” or “nostalgic”. Because of that, I’m gonna have my cake and eat it too and call it both a retrospective and perspective. I guess you could call this a PER-RETRO-SPECTIVE! I don’t really know and care but hey, for those that do care, there you go!

2015 saw the arrival of the next installment with Lara Croft known as Rise of the Tomb Raider, once again developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Square Enix. This acted as the sequel to Tomb Raider (2013), the middle chapter of the Survivor trilogy, and the 11th entry in the Tomb Raider franchise.

Development of Rise of the Tomb Raider began shortly after the development of Tomb Raider (2013) concluded. Crystal Dynamics wanted to take the next big step forward with Lara Croft while also addressing player feedback from the previous installment. This included an emphasis on more puzzle and challenge tombs while reducing the number of quick time events. The development team traveled to several locations in Turkey, including Cappadocia, Istanbul, and Ephesus, in order to faithfully design Kitezh. Powered by the Foundation engine, the game was also developed by Eidos-Montreal and Nixxes Software, certainly contributing to the stronger engine of the game, that saw much stronger graphics, presentation, and an incredibly smooth 60 FPS.

During E3 2014, Rise of the Tomb Raider was announced as an exclusive for the Xbox 360 and Xbox One. This sparked quite amount of controversy among gamers and fans alike. It was shortly after the backlash ensued that Square Enix confirmed it would only be a TIMED exclusive for the Xbox 360 and Xbox One and would later make it’s way to the PlayStation 4 several months later. Microsoft paid for the game to be a timed exclusive in the hopes that it would pushed for more Xbox One sales during the holiday season of 2015. The Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions came out on November 10th, 2015, with the Windows version releasing just three months later on January 28th, 2016, and finally released on the PlayStation 4 on October 11th, 2016.

There were big concerns about the sale numbers for Rise of the Tomb Raider from several game journalists. Not only because it would be a timed exclusive for the Xbox consoles but it would also be released on the same day as Fallout 4. Despite the concerns, both Microsoft and Square Enix were reportedly very satisfied with the games sales at it’s initial launch, with the latter likely being more satisfied with the sales as the game would be ported to other consoles. As of November 2021, it has been reported that the game has sold nearly 12 million copies worldwide, with the estimated number being around 11.8 million.

Like it’s predecessor, the game received strong reviews and critical acclaim. The majority of the praise was giving to the beautiful graphics, the polished gameplay, the characterization of Lara Croft, and offering much more variety of content than the previous game. However, some felt that the game lacked innovation and didn’t take nearly as much risks as it should. With Rise of the Tomb Raider approaching ten years old, let’s see how the middle chapter of Lara’s prequel origin story holds up!

Story:

Taking place one year after the events of Tomb Raider (2013), we follow archaeologist Lara Croft, who is suffering from PTSD from her experience with the supernatural on Yamatai, struggling to explain such experience to those around her. Desperate for answers, she turns to her late father Lord Croft’s research on the lost city of Kitezh, which promises the power of immorality. Lord Croft’s partner, Ana, arrives and warns Lara to not pursue that Lost City, as that drove her father to ruin and suicide. Now understanding the obsession her father had as an archaeologist, Lara ignores her warning and makes way to the Forgotten Cities in Syria, hoping to uncover the tomb of the Prophet of Constantinople, a key figure in the Kitezh legend.

However, once Lara arrives to claim the tomb, it’s empty. Her arrival is interrupted by a new deadly force known as Trinity, an ancient order of knights turned paramilitary organization investigating the supernatural, and their leader, Konstantin. After Lara is able to escape, she discovers a symbol etched into the tomb, which she links to a book on Russian religious history that was a part of her father’s studies at Croft Manor. She learns of an artifact called the Divine Source, said to be capable of granting that immorality that Lara is seeking from the legendary city of Kitezh.

As Lara goes on a new journey, she teams up with her old friend Jonah to retrieve the artifact while also running into a handful of allies/rivals new and old. There’s Jacob, the leader of its inhabitants, the Remnants, and part of the descendants of the Prophet’s followers. There’s Sophia, a female village warrior who has a hard time in trusting Lara, believing her to be no different than the Trinity. And there’s Ana, Lord Croft’s Partner, who happens to be caught in the middle of the search for immorality in ways that will make Lara turned here worldview on her.

Finding herself in the middle of a dangerous adventure yet again, Lara Croft must search for the legendary city of Kitezh, find the artifact that holds that key to immorality, and stop the Trinity from possessing this unspeakable power before it places herself and her friends of old and new in great danger.

It’s also worth noting that there are actually story DLC packs this time around, adding to the campaign experience of Rise of the Tomb Raider. These story packs are titled: Baby Yaga: The Temple of the Witch, Cold Darkness Awakened, Blood Ties, and Lara’s Nightmare. I won’t go into these one-by-one here because there is not a ton here that’s important to the overall story here. However, they certainly do a solid job at expanding the origins of Lara’s bond with her father along with seeing her slowly starting to embody the Lara Croft of old. I will give a brief description of them over at the Downloadable Content section.

The overall story for Rise of the Tomb Raider plays like a classic Tomb Raider adventure with sprinkles of Indiana Jones and Uncharted 2. With Tomb Raider (2013) getting the origins of an early Lara Croft out of the way, Rise is able to jump right into the next stage of Lara’s early development by going on a massive scaled, global adventure. Her, we see Lara looking to retrieve an incredibly rare artifact that promises a certain power never before seen, with her also questioning her allegiance, her father’s legacy, and her overall commitment to archaeology along the way.

It’s really interesting to see Lara caught in the same shadow as her father once did. Just like her daddy, Lara is at her place where she has given her life to adventure and discovery, gaining such an obsession for it that it starts to affect the people she cares about him the most. The main difference though is that Lara is closer than her father ever was to achieving the unachievable, having the whole world see the Croft family for who they really are. Not just to convince the world that the Crofts were NEVER crazy but they were ALWAYS right to commit their life to archeology.

The only downside of the story compared to the previous installment is that it does provide less banter and quippy moments with the crew that Lara was with on her first adventure. It’s only Jonah this time around that makes a grand return and even then, he spends a good majority of the game separated from Lara as she spends more time with the new players added to the roster than her old allies. Also, while the Tyranny and the leader Konstantin are a definite improvement over the villains of the last game, they still come across as yet another one-note cult and are still the least interesting parts of the game.

Writer Rhianna Pratchett has gone on record in saying she wanted to create a more personal journey for Lara Croft this time around and in my mind, she definitely succeeded. This definitely felt like the next possible step in Lara’s overall arc to becoming the tomb raider. Not only with the fact that discovering tombs plays a much more important role to the overall story but also to have it tie back to her family’s legacy and her overall purpose as an adventure. It’s not just about Lara discovering a sacred power of immorality but also an immorality of her own. That immorality being that she will always be an adventure, archeologist, and tomb raider by heart. Even if it comes at the expense of her friends and loved ones, there is nothing that Lara is more romantic about than being the tomb raider.

Gameplay:

Once again, Rise of the Tomb Raider is a third-person action adventure game where you take control of Lara Croft. Lara is given a large variety of weapons at her disposal, from bows and arrows to knifes to her ice axe to pistols to shotguns to assault rifles. You use these weapons to take out enemies in order to progress through the game.

Stealth also plays a major factor to the gameplay, where you take out enemies one-by-one, create distractions to draw enemies away from Lara, and hiding in bushes to evade enemies. Lara can use the environment to fight enemies, shooting explosive barrels, tear down rope-wrapped structures with rope arrows, or ambush enemies from the high ground (Somewhere, Obi-Wan Kenobi is smiling!) This stealth and combat was a big factor in Tomb Raider (2013) and it continues to be a big factor in Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Accomplishing objectives, completing side content, and eliminating enemies give players experience points. A.K.A. XP. When players collect XP, they level up and receive a skill point, which can be spend to upgrade the game’s three skill trees: Brawler, Hunter, and Survivor. Brawler helps with Lara’s efficiency with weapons, giving her abilities and boosting her resilience against attack along with unlocking new combat skills. Hunter helps with Lara dealing with the environments and animals. Survivor covers a wide range of skills such as creating bombs and setting up booby traps. Lara can learn new languages, enabling her to discover relics, which can be traded in exchange for new equipment.

Rise of the Tomb Raider also offers semi-open hubs to explore. While far from the level of say Grand Theft Auto V or even Gotham City from Batman: Arkham Knight, these sections do offer hub worlds for those that want to relax for a moment and see what’s going on with the other villages. In the hubs are items for Lara to collect, including crafting materials and survival caches. These items and collectibles, such as relics and docs that can be revealed to players using Survival Instinct, a vision mode which once again can highlight items of interest along with enemies during combat sections. By collecting these items, players can craft items with the game’s own crafting menu. Lara can craft ammo, poisoned arrows, and Molotov cocktails and hand grenades from cans and bottles.

The open areas are also filled with wildlife, which can be hunted to collect more resources. These are also main areas where you can find new side missions and discover/explore challenge tombs for new skills, outfits, and equipment. You can do this by talking to a certain villager which can guide you on a specific side mission or finding a hidden area which reveals a secret challenge tomb. The majority of these are not required to be the main campaign but you will likely find yourself wanting to complete one on the way as the side mission might just be right in front of you for you to complete.

A main big addition that Crystal Dynamics chose to put more focus on is the puzzle solving. Throughout the game, players will find themselves solving puzzles to progress through the game, in both the main campaign and side missions. The puzzles, based on in-game physics, are often connected and lead to a larger one later on down the road. During these sections, you will find yourself solving smaller, connective puzzles in order to solve a much larger one. These sections were clearly done as a response from the fans feedback from the previous game with wanting to add more elements from the classic Tomb Raider games, such as challenge tombs and puzzle solving. If you were one of these people, then you certainly get your wish with this game.

Unlike the previous game, Rise of the Tomb Raider does not have a multiplayer mode, also likely due to the lackluster response that the previous game’s multiplayer received. Instead, it introduces Expeditions, which allows players to replay the game with new constraints and requirements. This aligns with the game’s four modes: Chapter Replay, Chapter Replay Elite, Score Attack, and Remnant Resistance. Chapter Replay and Replay Elite allows players to replay any level and bring already-acquired skills and weapons to the level, Score Attack introduces score combo chains and Remnant Resistance allows to create custom scenarios, which can be shared with other players. By completing Expeditions, you earn credits which can then be used to purchase digital collectible cards to modify the gameplay. For those that are into the card collection of say MLB: The Show will certainly get a huge kick out of this.

When it comes to the overall gameplay, there is very little of me to talk negatively about. Crystal Dynamics clearly took the fan criticisms of the previous game to heart and looked to find that right balance to make Rise of the Tomb Raider a game made for both longtime and casual fans alike. In my mind, they succeed greatly at that. By improving upon the combat, stealth, and platforming of the previous game and also trimming down on QTE sections in favor of the more traditional puzzle solving and challenge tombs, there is something for any kind of Tomb Raider fan here.

I love taking control of Lara as she is going on this Nathan Drake-like adventure where she searches for the lost city of Kitezh. I love how tighter and more polished the overall gameplay felt, with making Lara control just about as well as she possibly ever could. I love being able to explore mini hub worlds this time around, which allows to interact with the other characters and villagers of the game, along with unlocking secret side missions. I love the addition of more puzzle solving missions like the original Tomb Raider games and even wanting to go more out of my way this time around to solve the challenge tombs. I love how it’s able to learn the right lessons from the likes of Uncharted while still standing strong on it’s own foundation. I just love the gameplay of Rise of the Tomb Raider overall.

Granted, if we are being totally honest, there’s isn’t too much here that wasn’t already presented in Tomb Raider (2013). Yes, there are certainly features and more expansive content this time around but the overall formula and engine remains the same. It’s clear Crystal Dynamics wasn’t looking to reinvent the wheel here and just wanted to deliver the same things that fans loved about the previous games while also incorporating elements from the classic Tomb Raider games that had become a staple of the franchise back then. While those looking for more innovation might be slight disappointed, those that just wanted more of what they got last time, mixed in with the things they got with the original games, and a couple of extras throughout should not be disappointed in the slightest.

I guess if I have a gripe, it would be that the boss fights still range from weak to practically non-existence. While there are certainly still action sequences and cinematic set pieces that will give you the impression that you are about to encounter something intense and heart bumping, the individual boss fights themselves are nothing to write home about. It still feels like you are just fighting some random enemy and beating them doesn’t feel very rewarding or satisfying.

Aside from that, the gameplay for Rise of the Tomb Raider is incredibly polished and incredibly fun. It’s able to improve on any potential shortcomings that the previous game had while also incorporating and mixing in new elements that feel organic and adds to the overall experience. You can still argue this is more of the same has before but hey, if that more of the same is done better and still fun to play, I’ll definitely take it.

Graphics:

Graphically, this game is ASTONISHING! This is easily one of the best and most impressive looking games ever released! The opening sequence in the snowy mountains alone showcases the massive power in graphics engine that Eidos-Montreal and Nixxes Software provided with the game. The textures is clear cut, the presentation is near flawless, and the 60 FPS is the pure icing on the cake. It’s one of the few examples of a “realistic” looking video game being an actual complaint. A single screenshot of this game makes it feel like the game is actually in real life and NOT from a video game.

The animation and motion capture is incredibly well done as well. This is probably the best that Lara Croft has ever looked, with face animation that even rival the king of motion capture performances in Naughty Dog. While these technical achievements were impressive in Tomb Raider (2013), there were a handful of instances of graphical errors and a cutscene or two that a character is moving like an animatronic. However, just about 99.99% of that is wiped out ENTIRELY in Rise of the Tomb Raider, making it graphically and presentation wise a visually pleasing masterpiece.

There’s not enough praise I can give to the graphics engine and production values for Rise of the Tomb Raider, probably the best and most polished aspect of the entire game. Even those that don’t like this game can’t deny how much time and effort went into making this game look as amazing and convincing as it could possibly be. Whether it’s because of a bigger budget or the involvement of Eidos-Montreal and Nixxes Software, Rise of the Tomb Raider is a technical marvel that has no business being as well made and pleasing to the eyes as it should.

Sound:

Jason Graves, the composer of Tomb Raider (2013) didn’t return this time around to the score for Rise of the Tomb Raider. The man doing that is no other than Bobby Tahouri. Thankfully, Tahouri is able to pick off exactly where Graves left off, delivering a score that works perfectly as not just an action-adventure game but a Tomb Raider game at heart. The music is once again able to fit the mood and tone of just about every single sequence in the game, from every intense action set piece to every slow breathing dramatic moment.

Once again, the voice acting is top notch all around and once again, the real main standout is Camilla Luddington as Lara Croft herself. She perfectly embodies this early years version of Lara Croft, taking baby steps into becoming the Tomb Raider we all know and love. Her tremendous line delivery and nearly flawlessly motion capture performance just feels appropriately like Lara Croft, helping greatly to match the characterization through performance with the writing.

There was clearly just as much effort put into the audio and sound design as the graphical engine and presentation. There’s not a single track or performance that feels wasted or half assed. It all looks and sounds wonderful.

Downloadable Content:

Rise of the Tomb Raider received plenty of DLC support, much more than the first game. It’s first post-launch game update released on December 4th, about a month after the game’s release. It introduced an endurance mode, as Lara hunts and crafts items while facing hidden dangers and environmental hazards. The real main standouts of the DLC came from the additional story add-ons.

Unlike the first game, Rise offered multiple story DLCs. The titles for these story DLCs being Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch, Cold Darkness Awakened, Blood Ties, and Lara’s Nightmare. Baby Yaga: The Temple of the Witch sees Lara investigating a disturbance in the Soviet mine, where she meets a young girl named Nadia and fights against a new foe known as Baby Yaga. Cold Darkness Awakened has Lara enter a decommissioned Soviet weapons bunker, which has been breached by a Trinity patrol, which also includes a horde mode in which Lara fights waves of infected enemies. Blood Ties has Lara explore Croft Manor, which introduces a combat-free mode while doing so. Lara’s Nightmare, which is like a mix of Cold Darkness Awakened and Blood Ties has Lara once again coming up against infected enemies that have infiltrated the Manor. This DLC was free of charge to season-pass holders and would be further expanded upon with plenty of new additions in the Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration edition, which released around the same time as the PlayStation 4 version of the main game.

When looking at these DLC packs, it was clear that Crystal Dynamics wanted to provided extra content that would give the players a full money’s worth of content. Unlike Tomb Raider (2013), where most of the DLC just felt like random add-ons that were removed from the game at the last second just for the sake of squeezing extra dollars, these DLC story packs do feel like they are worth the extra few bucks for players that are curious.

I wouldn’t say you are required to play them if you don’t want to be lost in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, as they mostly feel more episodic to the main game and just random side adventures for Lara Croft. However, they certainly do help to add more expansive content to the main game and does give players more to do after completing the main campaign. These are far from the greatest DLC packs ever but it is nice to see Crystal Dynamics put extra care into the expansive content than before.

Conclusion:

The question most likely had going into if Rise of the Tomb Raider is better than Tomb Raider (2013)? Technically speaking, I would argue Yes! The production values are incredibly top notch, the gameplay is much smoother and more refined, there’s more puzzles and challenge tombs this time around, there’s much more expansive content, the story feels deeper and more personal, and of course, the graphical engine is COMPLETELY off the charts! However, Tomb Raider (2013) set the foundation, novelty and groundwork of this Survivor trilogy, the kind of foundation, novelty, and groundwork that Rise of the Tomb Raider never is able to replicate on it’s own terms. It certainly builds upon it as good and organically as it can but not to the extent that original game did. You can go back-and-forth between the two games but if I had to chose just one to play, I might be more incline to go with Rise of the Tomb Raider. However, if only one of these games had to exist, then I might go with Tomb Raider (2013), if that makes sense.

Even so, despite the unavoidable comparisons to it’s predecessor and falling a tad short of being the Uncharted 2 level masterpiece that it’s aiming for (and taking obvious inspiration from), Rise of the Tomb Raider is still a fantastic game all around and one definitely worth playing.

Would Crystal Dynamics be able to continue their momentum and save their best for last? Find out next time!

Next Up: Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018)

Transformers One (2024) Movie Review- Perfectly Meets The Eye

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When it comes to how the Transformers themselves has fared in the world of medium, the one area where they managed to fit themselves the most admirably is with animation. Between the classic 1984 cartoon and the 1986 animated feature film, those were able to bring out the best in the Autobots themselves. By placing colorful characters in colorful environments with bright textures and imaginative cybertronic worlds, that is the area which best suits the Transformers we all know and love.

All of which is quite odd how it has taken literally 38 (!!) years before we FINALLY got a proper theatrically released animated Transformers film. We’ve gotten SEVEN live-action Transformers film, all of which (outside of the superb Bumblebee) ranged from decent to guilty pleasure to outright bad to downright abysmal. And at least 90% of those couldn’t come close to topping an animated flick from the 1980s, which basically acted as a toy commercial for the animated series. Nevertheless, director Josh Cooley (Toy Story 4) has finally stepped up and gave us all an animated Transformers film in the year 2024 with Transformers One….and it’s actually pretty darn good.

It’s certainly no masterpiece and not gonna change anyone’s viewpoint to those that have never been fond of the brand but for longtime fans of the franchise and even newcomers, Transformers One should definitely leave them with a smile on their face. It’s able to avoid most of the trappings that most prequel origin stories fall victim to, the world of Cybertron has never been more intriguing to explore, the main autobots we follow get their own unique development and moments to shine, and it’s able to stand strong as it’s own unique, enjoyable flick while leaving room for potential sequels and spin-offs. I don’t know if this is my absolute favorite of all the Transformers movies (I still have more of a soft spot for the Transformers meets E.T. and The Iron Giant riff known as Bumblebee!) but it certainly comes close and will make you realize the full potential of an animated Transformers cinematic universe.

Premise: Brothers-in-arms Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) and D-16 (Bryan Tyree Henry) become sworn enemies Optimus Prime and Megatron.

The most unique aspect of Transformers One is how it’s willing to tell it’s origin story of the early days of the Autobots without making the required plot elements feel like things that need to be checked off of a list that has to happen in a Transformers prequel. The major turning points we already know is going to happen such as Optimus Prime turning into a noble leader, Megatron turning into his villainous self, the war on Cybertron, and all the Transformers turning into their iconic selfs, is all in the service for it’s central story about betrayal, deception, and gaining optimism when both of those things occurred.

So much so that the overall premise of seeing Prime and Megatron going from allies to enemies is actually pushed to the wayside. The major of the focus is centered on Orion Pax, D-16, Elita-1, B-127, before they become Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Bumblebee (Elita is still the same!), looking to retake Cybertron having it’s been corrupted by Sentinel Prime, a leader that they once looked up to and respected from down below. The actual evolution of Optimus Prime and Megatron respectively, seeing the former growing into the ultimate hero and the latter growing into the ultimate villain, is more of a psychological conflict as the events of the war of Cybertron are happening around them and the ways they respond to it. It’s done so well that I was shocked how invested I was when that relationship does take an inevitable dark turn during a key turning point moment. That in of itself allows the majority of the runtime being spend on fleshing out the main Autobots and fleshing out the world of Cybertron in ways that hasn’t been done before in a Transformers movie.

It does start off a bit rough though, mostly leaning into the water-down comedy and slapstick that the trailers and marketing put a major focus on. There’s only so much one can take of seeing Optimus Prime in his more kid friendly self and being unable to actually transform before it gets tiring. It’s elements like that that let many people question, including myself, of whether or not an animated Transformers prequel could actually work. Thankfully, once the ball starts rolling, and the grand mission gets revealed of what needs to be done, the film committees to it’s drama to a surprising degree without letting it’s more family friendly tone and humor weigh it down.

The animation is beautifully done, being able to portray Cybertron as a very colorful landscape environment that makes one all the more curious to explore that world. The film’s unique animated style also helps the Transformers stand out much better with their designs, making one clearly different than another and very rarely making you feel like you forgot which Transformers is suppose to be which. The Autobots have never looked more appealing in film form. Not to mention, the action is able to stand out pretty well with plenty of fun fight sequences and spectacle battles, although you can tell the animators do clearly like them robot parts coming off. This was clearly a labor of love from Mr. Cooley and he shows once again why animation can and should be viewed as a top tier art form.

When it comes to the voice cast, it’s….adequate for the most part. It will definitely take getting used to hearing our beloved autobots and eventual deceptions before they grow into their badass vocal cords. Not to mention, the celebrity heavy cast is clearly on display, with hardly anyone sounding any different than these actors usually are in anything else. Even so, you can tell most of them are having fun, which makes it slightly more forgivable.

Chris Hemsworth is having a good time at playing a younger version of Optimus Prime and subtlety does start to sound more like the iconic Peter Cullen as the movie goes on. Brian Tyree Henry gives one of the funniest and most unique voice performances of 2024 as D-16/Megatron. Scarlett Johansson stands out in incredibly amusing ways as the girlbot Elita-1 (including one big plot beat or moment designed to trigger die hard cultural warriors). Keegan-Michael Key’s Bumblebee can get a bit tiring after awhile but he’s able to make his typical brand off humor work with the character. Jon Hamm as Sentinel Prime is exactly what you expect for any role that Jon Hamm takes with a character in complete control of power. Also, did you know that Soundwave is voiced by the Honest Trailer voice guy.

While it does fall short in being the Into the Spider-Verse/The Last Wish/Mutant Mayhem animated gamechanger it clearly wants to be, Transformers One delivers the action, laughs, and heart you could possibly want from an animated Transformers movie. The origins story of the early days of the Autobots is told remarkably well with hardly any beats feeling like they are in there just because it’s an origin story, the animation is gorgeous, all the Transformers get there own moments to shine, and the overall theme of different ideologies can get the best/worst out of us all is one that surprisingly works wonderfully for a Transformers movie. Plus, unlike Transformers One, you can jump right into the story and not feel lost.

It does take a while to get going and the celebrity filled voice cast, while fun, definitely doesn’t hold a candle to previous voice cast for Transformers but for those that want an animated flick with our favorite Autobots that has them front and center with no human presence to wear it down, Transformers One is definitely the Transformers movie for you.

Other comments:

  • Also, I think parents should beware that there is quite a bit of swearing in the movie. It’s mostly mild swear words such as “hell”, “damn”, and “ass” but they are in there.

  • Like Bumblebee spends over half of the movie referring to himself as the BADASS-ATRON!

  • I imagine parents will be as stunned of such swearing as the parents in my screening for Puss in Boots: The Last Wish were.

Ranking The Transformers Franchise

AdamLeave a comment

With Transformers One now out in theaters, its time to rank some of the biggest and most overblown blockbuster franchises of the 21st century…..along with a couple of animated motion pictures! You should need no further introduction that that! Here’s my ranking of all eight Transformers films thus far from worst to best!

9.) Transformers: The Last Knight

If you want an example of literally everything wrong with modern cinema, look no further than the absolute monstrosity that is Transformers: The Last Knight! This is what happens when a franchise just stops caring and think releasing anything in any state is acceptable! From the godawful directing to the inconsistent frame rate to the nonexistent plot that makes the other films in the series make no sense whatsoever to the butchered characterization to the nearly unwatchable action to the bizarre virtual signaling, there is not enough words in the English language to describe this trainwreck of a feature film! This is not just the low point for the autobots, this is a low point for movies in general! You can tell Michael Bay was over this franchise even before he took the camera and as a result, ended up finishing his run with this series by saving his worst for last!

Not to mention, Unicorn being planet Earth this whole time and Bumblebee fighting the Nazi?!?! Really?!?!?! Just really?!?!?!?!

8.) Transformers: Age of Extinction

If Age of Extinction is better than The Last Knight, it’s not better by much! This bloated disaster took everything that was wrong about Bay’s first three Transformers movies and cranked them up to 11! The action is even more exhausting, the humor is even more unfunny, the characters are even more obnoxious, the product placement is even more on the nose, the effects are somehow even more blatantly unfinished and obvious, and the runtime is even more taunting than perhaps any movie that has ever existed. While this does at least feel like a complete film overall, it’s still an absolutely terrible one and easily the worst film to ever make a billion dollars at the box office.

Also, statutory rape as a plot point! I just…..what more can you say?!

7.) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

The fact we now live in a timeline where this piece of crap is not even the second worst Transformers film really says a lot! At the very least, this had an excuse as to why it sucked as much as it did, most notably because this movie was rushed into production due to a writer’s strike. There is also a couple of legit good action beats here, especially the forest fight with Optimus Prime. Plus, unlike the last two films mentions, this has a proper three act structure! Just unfortunate that the script is complete garbage with a story that makes no sense with multiple plot threads that go nowhere, the typical Michael Bay humor being it’s absolute worst here, has some of the most annoying and particularly racist side characters in any film, and the Fallen himself being one of the most useless villains in any movie I’ve seen. While Revenge of the Fallen may be watchable compare to the last two films mention, it’s still pretty damn bad overall and not worth your time!

At least, it gave us Megan Fox on a motorcycle though!

6.) Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

There’s not much you can say about Rise of the Beasts other than what you come to expect from a Transformers movie at this point. With the kind of material it’s adapting in Beasts Wars and what is present onscreen, it could have made for one of the better Transformers movies rather than one that is middle-of-the-pack at best. It delivers the action, visuals, and spectacle you can come to expect from these movies and does them well to make for a fine watch but it doesn’t do enough to justify adapting the Beasts Wars and it’s plot feels frighteningly similar to that of Revenge of the Fallen, only with less crude humor and no racist stereotypes. Even with the tease at the end of a potential cross-over that could make for interesting future installments, Rise of the Beasts feels too surface value and run-of-the-mill that it’s hard to get excited about this franchise on film for the near future. And if the lackluster box office numbers have been any indication, I’m certainly not alone in thinking that. Serviceable time waster but nothing more.

It gets points for the Sonic and Tails references though!

5.) Transformers: Dark of the Moon

The third installment of the Bayverse is probably the best in terms of action, scope, and effects. The entire second half of this film delivers some of the most badass action set pieces in Transformers history with every notable character, from the human characters to the Transformers, getting to play a big part in it, with Optimus Prime being at his most badass and Leonard Nimoy as Sentinel Prime being just awesome. Sam Witwicky even has an engaging arc this time around for a man who just wants to matter in the world and his new girlfriend, while no Megan Fox, is pretty cool in her own right and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s acting is surprisingly not terrible. It’s still held back by most of the flaws with these Bay films along with Megatron being useless for 99.99% of the runtime and containing one of the most abrupt endings in recent memory (Seriously, no end of trilogy goodbye or anything!). Even so, Dark of the Moon is the only one of the Bay sequels that I was actually able to tolerate and find a good bit of enjoyment in. This is also the one where Michael Bay most certainly should have stop at.

Also, what in the world is the title of this film suppose to mean? Dark of the Moon?! What even is that?!

4.) Transformers

If we are rating this list based off pure nostalgia, I would rank this at #1, as it’s the Transformers film I have watched the most. I’m gonna sound like a hypocrite since I spent so much of this ranking bashing Michael Bay but I gotta admit, he certainly nailed it on his first try here. I don’t think anyone could forget the experience of seeing the Transformers on the big screen for the very first time and how satisfying it felt to watch in theaters. Yes, it puts a focus on the human characters first but that felt necessary since this was the first film the autobots and deceptions were on screen so having a main human lead guiding the picture felt natural. The action is spectacularly done, with the climax of the film being an all-timer, the special effects still hold up well to this very day, the soundtrack is great, the human cast blend very well with the Transformers and even the humor is actually quite funny here (every scene with Anthony Anderson always gets me cracking). You can definitely pick apart the overly complicated plot, the overlong runtime, and the overabundance of human characters (all of which would ONLY get worse in the sequels) but for what this movie needed to get right, Transformers (2007) was able to get right pretty well on the first try that I can easily overlook any faults.

And yes, Megan Fox is hotter than the sun in this movie and I crushed on her just as hard as any teen or pre-teen did in 2007 after seeing the film for the first time!

3.) Transformers: The Movie

The 1986 animated film that is based of the famous television series is certainly more than meets the eye. While on the surface it looks to be a harmless and inoffensive movie for kids that is completely design to sell toys, it’s actually a very touching and emotional tale of loss and grief with many established characters being killed off left and right, especially the ultimate fan favorite of Optimus Prime. If that doesn’t scream “balls of steel”, then I have no idea what does. The animation is also well done for it’s time with fun action, a great voice cast and a cool soundtrack throughout. It’s also nice to see human characters have a presence in a Transformers movie but does not completely steal the spotlight from the autobots themselves. It still has most of the same trappings that most of these “toy commercial” movies do and those who aren’t familiar with the animated series will likely be lost in terms of the plot but for the longest of time, Transformers: The Movie makes for one fun nostalgic movie that was as good of a Transformers movie as you could get.

And try not to cry when Optimus Prime dies! *sheds tear*

2.) Transformers One

While it does fall short in being the Into the Spider-Verse/The Last Wish/Mutant Mayhem animated gamechanger it clearly wants to be, Transformers One still delivers the action, laughs, and heart you could possibly want from an animated Transformers movie. The origins story of the early days of the Autobots is told remarkably well with hardly any beats feeling like they are in there just because it’s an origin story, the animation is gorgeous, all the Transformers get there own moments to shine, and the overall theme of different ideologies can get the best/worst out of us all is one that surprisingly works wonderfully for a Transformers movie. Plus, unlike Transformers One, you can jump right into the story and not feel lost. It does take a while to get going and the celebrity filled voice cast, while fun, definitely doesn’t hold a candle to previous voice cast for Transformers but for those that want an animated flick with our favorite autobots that has them front and center with no human presence to wear it down, Transformers One is definitely the Transformers movie for you.

1.) Bumblebee

As much as plenty of folks have fondness for the original 1986 animated movie and will (likely) have fondness for the latest animated movie, I still believe that Bumblebee is the best Transformers film to date. After Michael Bay ended his directing run of this series with an absolute whimper, Travis Knight was able to step in and deliver a Transformers movie that puts it’s characters and emotions first and action set pieces second! The plot does hit many of the same beats as the 2007 film along with tropes seen in other “kid befriends beasts/machines” story but it’s able to work to it’s advantages by making the best use of every single one of those beats and tropes. This Transformers riff of E.T. and The Iron Giants works wonderfully because it knows what made those movies works and how the best Transformer stories with human characters work, by having the main driving force between a human being and a robot car be the beating heart in all of it. Hailee Steinfeld is perfectly casted as Charlie Watson, easily the best human character in the series, and every scene between her and Bumblebee is so wholesome and serves greatly in their development. The action in the prologue is perhaps the best bit of action in any of these movies and the rest that is presented throughout the rest of the movie is very well done. Bumblebee is full of so much heart, energy, and passion that it’s genuinely a great film no matter what way you look at it. This is one of those movies that you just wish you can give a big hug too because it’s just that sweet and charming. Because of that and more, Bumblebee is the best Transformers film to date!

Also try not to cry when Charlie says goodbye to Bumblebee at the end of the film!