Tag: Opinion

Lee Cronin’s The Mummy

The Cannon’s are a happy family on a business trip in Egypt. Things go horribly wrong when their daughter Katie gets snatched out of their yard by a mysterious woman. For eight years, there’s no word, no updates. Katie is gone and the family moves on with their other daughter. Until miraculously Katie is found alive inside of a sealed sarcophagus. She’s virtually catatonic, malformed, malnourished and…ok, there’s no feasible way this kid is alive. But they take her home…

I’ll be honest, I’m having a hard time just getting through the recap of this damn movie. This isn’t The Mummy (2017) which wanted to to desperately wanted to be a MCU movie and kick off its own. Cronin instead wanted to make another Evil Dead movie; so much so I’ve seen this film included in way too many Evil Dead series countdowns. Katie is basically a Deadite. There’s a evil book that sounds awfully similar to the Necronomicon and she’s possessing people, there’s gross scenes of bodily harm and general possession movie tropes. I can’t say I was invested in any of the characters and for pretty good reason. The parents are pretty crappy. Not bad people, just dammit they are stupid from how Katie gets kidnapped to the level of ignorance on display when the full on horror movie shit starts kicking up. The kids are fine actors but I never found them scary. The effects are fine, mostly, but the gore is clearly trying to gross you out. I think the best way I can describe this movie in a nutshell is it’s trying to be modern Evil Dead without anything that makes Evil Dead special. Lastly, I’m going to say this movie is over 2 hours and it absolutely feels longer; Oppenheimer felt quicker by comparison.

In the end, watch the classic Mummy movies. Karloff, the Hammer movies with Christopher Lee, the classic 90’s Mummy movies with Brendan Fraser- you can’t got wrong. Friends don’t let friends watch Mummy 2026. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Until Dawn 2 release date trailer

I’m still very confused how this is a sequel to Until Dawn. I gave some leigh way when the Until Dawn 2 reveal trailer dropped. After getting a more in depth look, I’m still fairly convinced the title was tacked on for brand recognition. On it’s own, the game looks nice visually so far. The story elements aren’t really grabbing me so far. I’ll keep an eye out but in the end I’m not really anywhere near as hyped as I should be. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Night of the Living Deadpool

Aren’t you just sick of zombies? Well, I’d bet Wade sure is. After waking up from a gnarly food coma, our favorite (or not so favorite) Merc with a Mouth finds himself in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. Along his quest for a cure he encounters survivors, lunatic church grannies, and the revelation his healing factor maybe the world’s last hope or the final nail in it’s coffin.

So I gotta start by shouting out our mutual friend and battle buddy Arragas for the epic comic haul. Honestly, Deadpool has always been special because he was my gateway into reading Marvel comics. Stories like this are a prime example why. It’s not a long read and it doesn’t require homework or an encyclopedic knowledge of characters to enjoy. Bunn, who also did a great job writing Deadpool vs Carnage , fills the story with humor and the all so important drops of pathos many forget to include with Deadpool. I like the zombies are vocal and actually tragic, lamenting their undead fates and feeling sorrow for the pain they are causing. The art is really eye catching, predominately black and white with Deadpool and his speech bubbles being the only color- a cool nod to Kirkman’s Walking Dead books. The book pokes a lot of fun at everything from Walking Dead to Evil Dead to NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and Dawn of the Dead . In the end, this is damn quick, fun read that I highly recommend checking out. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Marvel’s Spiderman 2

We pick up our tale of our favorite wall crawlers not too long after Marvel Spider-man: Miles Morales . Both Peter and Miles are struggling balancing lives as regular guys and superheroes. A random attack from Sandman sets the spiders on the path of a powerful new adversary on the hunt not only for them but their strongest, most dangerous villains. Enter Kraven and his mercenary army. If that wasn’t enough, Peter’s world is turnedupside down again when his best friend Harry turns back up-better than ever. Seemingly cured from his deadly illness with a mysterious black suit that grants him incredible powers of his own, but at what cost?

Spiderman 2 could be in the running for best superhero games I’ve ever played. A few things keep it away from that coveted spot. First, the MVP of this game is easily the traversal. Not only is web swinging and Spidey’s signature acrobatics fine tune flawlessly, we also get the web wings which add a whole new layer to getting around. Combined, getting around a truly humongous New York is a marvel just in itself. I really loved the story as well as its take Kraven the hunter and the Black Suit saga. A lot of people hated this universe’s take on Venom but I actually found this version of Harry Osborn to be my favorite. I found him likable, sympathetic, and menacing once Venom is born. Plus, Tony Todd was perfect voicing the lethal protector. My only issue with the story is I wish we got more. There are a lot of great plot threads and follow ups that I feel were a mistake to leave all for the 3rd game.

Combat takes some getting used to. This game leans as heavily on the new implemented parry mechanic almost as much as Doom: The Dark Ages did. The game is definitely the most difficult of the trilogy and at times I did get frustrated with the parry, dying more than I did in the previous games.

I feel like both characters were well done and feel pretty unique. The black suit abilities are nuts and I loved them to death. I like that both characters get there own individual side missions that actually add to their stories. The villain roster is a lot smaller than the first game but they are all well done. Kraven is a absolute beast and Venom is peak after years of those awful movies.

In the end, Spiderman 2 isn’t perfect. I still say Marvel’s Spider-man is still better but is still a damn good sequel that is almost great. I highly recommend checking it out. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Spider Noir (sn1)

To get pumped for Spiderman: Brand New Day I jumped back into m love for all things Spidey. Nick Cage as Spiderman Noir was one of my favorite little parts of Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse so I really excited he was reprising his role in live action for a full series. Noir has always been one of my favorite variants of the wall crawler. So how did Amazon do?

Ben Reilly is a typical private eye living in 1930’s New York- well almost. During WW1 he was bitten by a POW subjected to German genetic experimentation, granting him spider powers. Living a double life as the Spider, fighting crime, married to the love of his life, Ruby, Ben had the perfect life until tragedy struck. Depressed, broken, Ben exists now with the help of his close friends until new super powered foes emerge working with the diabolical crime lord Silvermane. Can the Spider bring himself to come out of retirement, stop the bad guys, and get the girl one last time?

First and foremost, I adored the attention to detail. This show nails the golden age detective noir vibe. I absolutely recommend watching it in black and white for full effect. The cast is terrific. Cage delivers a great performance as a unhinged, wallowing, good hearted guy looking for redemption. Brendan Gleeson was charismatic and threatening as Silvermane, easily my favorite incarnation of the crime lord by far. Li Jun Li was a great classic Fem Fatal as Cat Hardy. I appreciated the show wasn’t overly action heavy, opting for a story, driven crime narrative with flushed out characters. As someone that finds it hard getting into TV shows, I was glued to this one and I honestly can’t recommend it enough, both for new commers and Marvel fans. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Spiderman: Brand New Day

Its been 4 years since Peter Parker made the ultimate sacrifice for not only the people he loves but essentially existence itself at the end of Spider-man: No Way Home. Peter has fully given himself to being a full time Friendly Neighborhood superhero, watching his friends thrive from afar. When his body begins erratic changes and a deadly new foe emerges that can seemingly hop body to body, Peter may have to final learn he’s not alone and accept the brand new day ahead.

Arragas the Druid and I went through a lot to see this opening weekend for the love of our favorite wall crawler and honestly…this could be my favorite Spidey film, if not tied with classic spider man 2. This movie raises the emotional stakes and it was really refreshing to see an adult Peter. As someone who deals with isolation and depression, the movie hit me pretty hard. The superhero stuff was beautifully done with possibly my favorite climax to a Spidey movie. The actors did an amazing job; I love Sadie Sink as the villain of this movie and I can’t wait to see more of her in the MCU. Punisher was a great contrast to Peter and I loved their interactions throughout the movie. The pacing was good, never feeling too slow or crammed. In the end, I’m happy to say Brand New Day breaks the curse of MCU 4s started with Thor: Love and Thunder and Captain America: Brave New World . I absolutely recommend it, especially in theaters. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening

There’s 3 things I knew tryin to get into the DMC series: the chronology is all over the place, the reboot missed the whole point, and people opinion on the best and worst are pretty damn unanimous. 3 is the best by a popular majority. After my lukewarm experience with the original Devil May Cry , I skipped 2 (unanimously cited as the worst) and went to see what the series really had. Was I disappointed?

We join a very young, brash, cocky, arrogant Dante on his first foray into demon hunting. When a mysterious tower emerges from the ground near his unnamed business and demons start pouring into the streets, the half human son of legendary demon king Sparda jumps into action with his trusty sword and pistols. However, behind this outpouring of hellish forces is a familiar face- his twin brother, Vergil. Vergil craves his father’s power and wants to smash the barrier between worlds, leading to utter chaos. Can Dante defeat the only one who can match his supernatural skills?

Seriously, I wish I heeded the advice everyone gave me to just stat with 3. These games aren’t really my kind of game but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I didn’t have a blast with the game. Everything is improved dramatically from the first game. Combat is more fluid with plenty of variety. The story is both more engaging with better developed characters and is more fun and over the top in the best ways. Dante has more personality and I love his interactions with Vergil, who’s his total opposite. The cut scenes are impressive as hell, especially given the time period. The camera, which killed the first game for me, was rarely a problem. The game itself has a lot more quality of life improvements that I greatly appreciated like unlimited continues and the ability to quick change weapons without pausing to go to the inventory menu. The highlight howver was the boss battles which were epic, challenging, and rewarding; the fights against Vergil were truly the best of the whole game.

The only real complaint was the the path finding at times. There were a few times the game has you backtrack quite a ways back through a layout that can be super easy to get lost in, especially when you start twisting parts of the tower. The boss gauntlet at the end did feel a bit excessive and felt like padding. Of course too there are few times the platforming annoyed me but thankfully it’s never life or death kinda of platforming.

In the end, I’m on board with the masses. Start with 3, it’s the first game in the series story wise anyway. It’s a fun, fast, over the top hack and slash that was plenty of fun and has has a hell of a lot of value I’d gladly recommend. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Long Walk

So I haven’t done one of these in awhile. Today I’m doing a double review much like i did with other King adaptations such as Pet Sematary , Misery , Cujo , Carrie and The Shining in the past. The Long Walk, is of course by Stephen King during his famous/ infamous Bachman era. It was the first book he ever wrote, but didn’t publish until much later in his career.

The premise is simple but intense: 100 young men (in the book) compete in the Long Walk each year for a huge cash prize as well as a special wish granted by the Major, a tyrannical figure who oversees the walk and possibly America’s dystopian regime. Walking is the name of the game. Walk. No stops, no sleep, no exceptions until the last man stands. Death awaits those that buckle under exhaustion and strain via the military’s cruel hand.

So let me talk about the book first. Honestly, I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. King masterfully builds tension and dread throughout while rarely falling into the monotonous pitfalls you’d expect. I was invested with most of the characters, especially Pete McVries who becames a friend to Ray Garatty, the story’s overall main character. I’m no stranger to King’s writing, and I can say it was kinda cool getting a glimpse of him in his earliest years before hitting legendary status and mastering the craft. Thankfully, it’s a quick read at 310 pages roughly, just starting to wear out its welcome once it finally ends. I do have to say I never got invested in Ray much as a main character and even started finding him annoying after a bit when I should’ve found sympathy for him. His whole motivation for competing in the walk is flimsy compared to many of the other walkers. My other biggest complaint is the end: it feels abrupt as hell. There’s no satisfying conclusion to some characters I really cared about. No real climax. No catharsis really. Just ends. I get the choice, the futility and hopelessness of it all but I was left feeling let down instead of chilled. In the end, The Long Walk is a solid book. Not great but a good read, especially if you’re new to King and are weary of the sheer size of many of his popular books. I’d recommend checking it out.

The movie has the same basic premise so I won’t recap but I will say their are A lot of small changes I loved as well as fixing 2 of the biggest problems I had with the book. Ray has a new, more relatable motivation and a character arc that hit me like a brick at the end. The ending, by the way, is much different and so much more fulfilling. The actors do an incredible job of carrying the movie. David Jonsson and Mark Hamil especially steal the show but Jonsson comes out on top and is becoming one of my favorite modern day actors. The movie cuts the number of walkers in half which was wise, giving characters more time to flush out. The movie, like the book, is brutal and palpable- as someone who spent nearly a decade pushing carts for the real life Umbrella Corp, this movie and book had me relive some scary shit. In the end, I actually enjoyed the movie more the the book. The book was good, the movie is great and I’m willing to say it’s the best adaptation of King I have seen since IT (2017). May the gaming gods bring you glory, and keep walking.

Devil May Cry

Just so we’re all clear, I’m talking about cool Dante’s first outing. Emo, Hot Topic, proto Jared Leto Joker Dante won’t hurt you here.

We follow monster hunter/ paranormal PI Dante at his agency named Devil May Cry. A lady named Trish pops in, asking him to kill the dark lord Mundus on the demon infested Mallet island. Dante is no ordinary man: born for a legendary demon and human mother, Dante possess super strength, speed, reflexes, regeneration, with a host of mythical weapons. Can the demon hunter survive the legion of demons and beasts on a island that busts reality and the world beyond?

So many, many friends have pleaded with me to give this series a chance. If I can beat Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and System Shock (2023) I can beat anything dammit. Many, including our mutual friend and cohert, Arragas the Druid, begged me to start with the 3rd game (which is actually the first.) I didn’t because I’m stubborn as hell but I wish I did.

The original Devil May Cry isn’t a terrible game, it just aged like milk in many aspects and small but vital quality of life additions make a tremendous difference. The combat is solid enough. The bosses look cool. Mundus was a pretty good final boss that wasn’t a pushover. The world, settings, and lore are pretty cool. Dante is a fun likeable badass.

Two things murder the game for me. The camera killed me more times than not. The enemies hit hard, platforming can be a pain in the ass, and it can be hard knowing where the hell to go- the tank camera amplifies these issues almost a dozen fold. Their were plenty of times I lost it because the camera obscured a boss attack or I fumbled a jump because I couldn’t see. The other thin is those quality of life additions the game desperately needed. I’m talking simple things like quick weapon selection, attack instructions (why spend the orbs on new attacks when the game doesn’t tell you how to perform them), and the ability to lock onto enemies. Nothing huge on there own but rolled togther with the camera, it becomes aggravating.

In the end, I can’t recommend the first Devil May Cry as your first go into the series. It’s tough at imes for mostly the wrong reasons, the gameplay takes some getting used to, and the story feels mostly like an after thought. I’d say after going through some of the modern entries, check it out, but I can’t really recommend it off the bat. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Horror Movie

Horror Movie: an unfinished, unreleased, amateur, experimental horror film shrouded in myth and controversary since the 90’s. After nearly three decades of occult infamy comes the Hollywood reboot. Of the film’s original production, only the film’s villain christened The Thin Kid remains. What happened to this little picture to gain the infamy and intrigue? Is this lost movie cursed or has life imitated art?

So despite the title, this is novel from horror author Paul Tremblay. I loved A Head Full of Ghosts and I recall Savior saying he enjoyed the movie adaption of The Cabin At The End of the World ( Knock at the Cabin). Horror Movie is a odd novel. It’s well written, bouncing between different time periods. I wasn’t hugely invested, believing I had the story mapped out, but I was pleasantly surprised by the end. I like Tremblay’s approach to horror, adding depth and real life trauma to what would be bland horror scenarios.

For me personally, the book stumbles a few times. I felt like the pacing snags a few times in spots because certain parts feel repetitive. Think Resident Evil 6 when you played part you already did, just through a slightly different perspective. Like for example, there’s a part where the Thin Kid is asked in present day how he pulled off a crazy ass jump. He explains it. Then we go to the past when it was filmed and he relives it; I feel like it didn’t add much. This happens a few times. The characters are fine but I never got attached to any of them, therefore I wasn’t invested in their ill fates.

In the end, Horror Movie is a quick, solid read. I would actually like to see a film adaptation; honestly I think it might be better in that regard. The book isn’t amazing, but well worth a read if you like found footage horror. May the gaming gods bring you glory.