Reviews

The Scargiver isn't Part 2 so much as it's the ending to Part 1 stretched and twisted to reach an overlong runtime primarily using slow-motion as a crutch to hide a lack of substance in style. I feel transported back to the 2010s when it felt like every YA film needed two parts to tell one story.

I hated it then and I hate it now, and it leaves the bitter taste in my mouth that someone needs to step in and moderate Snyder's overly ambitious but sadly underdeveloped ambitions. There are nuggets of gold here and there that glimmer with potentially juicy mythology that only needs to be tapped into.

The scale is interesting despite the derivative ideas and, with some better choreographed action, Rebel Moon could take its solid soundtrack and create a space opera less reliant on forcing the viewer to watch faux flair and get their hearts pounding with some epic science fiction.

Still Wakes the Deep is a chilling creature-feature that delivers a powerfully pure narrative bolstered by phenomenally talented performances from a cast that convey visceral emotions. Streamlined gameplay won't satisfy every player, but developer The Chinese Room, in my opinion, does a fantastic job of balancing 'walking sim' with platforming and puzzle engagements that keep things spicy.

Overall, Still Wakes the Deep is a lovingly curated journey through a Scotsman's struggle to survive on an offshore oil rig crumbling to pieces while being relentlessly stalked by mysterious monsters. It's tense, beautiful, and fantastically priced for the content.

Hellblade 2: Senua's Saga is an absolutely gorgeous jaunt that scintillates the senses and challenges the mind. Sound design and atmosphere are near peerless and a powerfully tragic protagonist anchors the experience in a bloody and brutal reality that begs to be explored...

...only to rob that opportunity from you.

Saga prioritises its art too much, stripping back its gameplay and player control while favouring failure to force its animations on you. Basic traversal is a slog, combat is crunchy but painful, and repetitive puzzles aren't enough to break the short but padded playtime.

Saga fails to capture the intensely delicate balance of its predecessor and finds itself in a chaotic struggle with the player to play the game for them, wrestling and clawing control while forgetting that its visual and audio highs aren't enough to balance the mechanical lows.

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales is woefully short and stumbles as it starts, but, past those pain points, a tightly tailoured, grounded, and heartfelt origin story revels in its sense of community as Miles fights to shed the imposter syndrome he faces being the 'second' Spider-Man. Gameplay and combat mechanics welcome past players with familiar abilities while slowly electrifying them with distinct and individual flourishes that better suit Miles. Sadly, side content still needs some tender love and care while its cinematic moments aren't well suited when in smaller spaces, but, overall, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales is an unmissably fun and emotional adventure that provides a nice bridge between the first and second games.

Part 1 of A Quiet Place is one of the freshest post-apocalyptic horror dramas I've watched in recent memory; Part 2, remarkably, manages to carry that atmosphere forward, imbuing more frenetic action thanks to a bigger budget. Louder than its predecessor, Part 2 still has masterful sound design and character arcs, especially for the young ones in the cast. Anchored by Emily Blunt's fantastic, measured performance, the Abbott family's second fight for survival weaves a surprising tale of heroics in spite of futility.

Cillian Murphy is an excellent addition, but his character's introduction is clunky and his use as primarily a chaperone is the first real misstep the film takes before ending on a high but jagged note.

Overall, the themes of isolation, loss, and survival are as potent as ever, and Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe deliver stellar performances that embody the core story of taking back control regardless of the dangerous horror they'll have to face on the way.

Reacher's sophomore season cements it as an action-packed jewel in Amazon's streaming crown with pitch-perfect casting of Alan Ritchson as the titular character. Even more punchy (literally) and set on a grander stage, season 2 digs deeper into Reacher and his past, layering our stoic hero with dashes of emotion as he hunts a cabal of vicious murderers. Backed by an inconsistent cast of inconsistently developed characters, viewers are in for a fun if light ride that more than warrants a few more seasons for us to sink our teeth into, and, as far as I know, that's exactly what we're going to get.

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is art first and game second. It has perhaps the best representation of mental health the medium has ever seen and will undoubtedly hit close to home for even those that haven't faced the psychosis Senua struggles with. Ninja Theory and Melina Juergens bring the titular protagonist to life with wonderful animations and personal experiences, showcasing significant talent in sound design and atmosphere. The latter benefits from dedicated mixing of metaphor and Norse and Celtic mythology, and the heavy story attempts to balance organic combat with repetitive puzzles. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, with a slower approach to pacing that aims to develop plot points and not player interaction, but for those looking for an honest portrayal of suffering, grief, and hope, there is no better game.

'The hardest battles are fought in the mind...'

Never a truer word was spoken.

The Last of Us: Season 1 is the new benchmark for adaptations, bringing complicated characters and their respective arcs to life in such vivid and visceral ways while expanding on what makes them tick. It struggles to deliver a compelling story outside of its cast, however, underutilising its post-apocalyptic landscape and losing a lot of its context to be slimmed down for the medium. Pacing is inconsistent and, while individual episodes are rock solid, as a collective whole the show never picks up speed, leaving its undeniably emotional finale a little anticlimactic.

Despite this, performances from Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay deliver crackling chemistry that goes a long way to smoothing out the cracks. Backed with superb creature design and a gorgeous soundtrack, The Last of Us: Season 1 is a TV event you do not want to miss.

A Quiet Place: Part 1, to this day, is still one of the freshest apocalyptic horrors (and just horror in general) I've seen. Thoughtfully paced and wonderfully plotted, Emily Blunt and John Krasinski head the Abbott family as they live their lives in a world where one single peep of noise will kill them. Selling this premise and its mysterious deadly creatures is an opening that holds nothing back, family dynamics that shine thanks to spectacular casting, and smart sound design that masterfully plays with silence. It's this latter part that truly hits the viewer hard, with dialogue all but non-existent, causing the viewer an unbelievable amount of tension and panic whenever a single, simple noise is heard.

It's a film on another level, no doubt about it.

After the near perfection of season one, season two of Stranger Things had the difficult task of capturing lightning twice and, while not as tight as its origins, season two is nine episodes of tantalising thrills.

Overall, Stranger Things 2 honours its legacy with a justified and heartfelt story, a cast of fantastic performances, and a world with a season finale that goes big, blasting the roof of the show's lore wide open. The sheer passion of the cast and crew involved screams 'we have more to tell', and, I, for one, will be there to watch and listen as they play in their neon 80s sci-fi sandbox.

Dead Space 2 is that rare kind of sequel that not only embodies what made the first game an impactful horror but refines for a faster, smoother experience. Every area has been tastefully expanded with already great gameplay being strengthened and old tactics freshened to keep the player on their toes. Even then, just as the player settles into a rhythm, sound design will creep up behind you to remind you that you're never, ever, safe.

Dead Space perfected what a survival horror game should be, but Dead Space 2 inscribed the series in gaming history. It showed the world a winning formula that I've rarely seen since and its absence is sorely missed.

The Last of Us is a gaming phenomenon that went for the world's jugular when it was first released back in 2013 (damn, a decade, now that makes me feel old). I've yet to see anything since capture its potent emotion and pace, to break and mend my heart over and over again. It's pure lightning in a bottle, from its heartfelt plotting, its unbelievably real characters, to its weighty, punchy gameplay.

That was all in a game released ten years ago, so how does Naughty Dog's remake stack up, and, more importantly, is it worth its full-price release?

Outstandingly beautiful and engaging, The Last of Us: Part 1 is the definitive way to enjoy one of the best and must-play experiences ever released. However, the original holds up just as well, and if you can't justify the expensive price tag for the remake, don't. Wait for it to come down or pick up the original for much, much cheaper.

I'm just gonna kick off with Jenna Coleman deserves all the credit here. Wilderness (based on a book I didn't know about because I try not to unduly influence my opinion through prior research and am now giving up on the whole read-the-book-first mantra) is a haphazard collection of tropes that would've sunk the series if not for Coleman's exemplary performance as Liv Taylor.

So, what are these tropes? Well, there are a few, but primarily it's the source of the show that provides the most glaring: a hysterical woman makes hysterical choices after her one-dimensional husband cheats. The ensuing chaos is...underwhelming, with tension only really coming into play in the show's last two episodes. The road there likes to repeat itself and the consequence is a story that only sizzles and never pops.

However, Coleman inextricably pulls all the dangerously frail threads into a believable and riveting character arc. The cast does fine, but there's no real development set aside for them, so it's up to our main actress to do the heavy lifting and do the lifting she most definitely does. Able to sell any emotion, Coleman showcases the gentle's descent into madness, turning what could've been an overlong trudge into a trial of fire that births a psychologically complex character.

Heart of Stone is predictably Netflix and a little trite, but, surprisingly, full of heart. Helmed by the surprising and capable fit of Gal Gadot as Rachel Stone, viewers are treated to an incredibly fun spy thriller. Admittedly, everything is just above average and the runtime could use some trimming. Still, I can't deny that as the film came to a close with a satisfying and bombastic finale, I found myself smiling having enjoyed the soaring soundtrack and unexpected twists.

If you have time to kill, some nummy snacks, and are looking for a kickass couple of hours, you could do much worse than Heart of Stone.

Everything Everywhere All At Once is sheer perfection. It's a rapturous cinematic experience that takes the viewer on an emotional rollercoaster through existential dread, the crushing burden of expectations, and the overwhelming nature of life. It's funny, ridiculous, poignant, and, above all, unashamedly hopeful. Despite its themes, Everything reminds us that, even when the world overwhelms us and brings us to our lowest, there are moments, moments when, sometimes, just sometimes, we can overwhelm the world.

It'll break you, mend you, shatter you, and, finally, teach you how to fix yourself.

Remedy Entertainment and the illustrious Sam Lake are unparalleled when it comes to crafting mind-bending stories dotted with easter eggs. Quantum Break is a surprising little gem that confuses as much as it delights. Beautiful and gripping, it struggles to truly feel like a game.

Quantum Break is fun, thrilling, and a gorgeous experience that plays with hit-or-miss mixes of gameplay and live-action sections. Its fun combat mechanics will keep you entertained but its short length and abrupt, ambiguous ending will leave you a little dissatisfied. As far as I know, Quantum Break isn't a part of the Remedy Connected Universe (yet, anyway), and with Microsoft owning the property, we may never get answers to the many questions left after the credits roll.

Marvel's Spider-Man is pretty darn near perfect. An admittedly slow start builds powerful relationships that crescendo when Insomniac really ups the ante in Acts 2 and 3. Characters shine and gameplay is king as the developer crafts one of the best traversal mechanics in gaming period, allowing the player to truly experience the web-zipping adventures of a beloved superhero with style and substance. Combat is slick with enough complexity to carry it through to the endgame and, as long as you don't mind the repetitive side content, New York is jam-packed with things to do outside the main story.

Marvel's Spider-Man is, in my opinion, the best game of the character yet to be created and one of the best superhero games you can currently pick up.

The Night Agent, based on the novel of the same name by Matthew Quirk (which I wished I'd known before watching the show since I prefer reading first), would be a shallow and paint-by-numbers action thriller if not for the heart its cast gives it with genuine and layered performances. Fans of the Bourne films or, more recently coming to mind, Reacher, will find themselves at home with this diluted but surprisingly effective binge-watch.

A shaky beginning finds confidence in its parts to piece them into a fun conspiracy puzzle, but, in my opinion, it could lose a couple episodes and you'd still fly through its 10-part run at lightning speed.

Plus, it's a show Netflix has renewed (oh my god, a renewal), and with the talent involved, might be one worth investment.

Dead Space: Ignition should not exist. The first misstep in the series, this 'game' (it barely qualifies) is a comic-style puzzler with unnecessary branching story paths intended to pad an otherwise short experience. A lazy story crashes into a lazy cast and ends up in a heap of lazy gameplay and graphics. If I could attribute any positives, the mind-numbing puzzles passed the time for a bit, but the entire experience highlights how rarely going outside the box for an established series works.

Do yourself a favour and just skip (fans of the series are gonna be curious regardless, but this is not an experience - it's a quick buck).

Harry Potter would undoubtedly have been a classic solely in its book form, but, thanks to the cast and crew of the film adaptations, the series has become a phenomenon. From detail-attentive storytelling to character castings that feel like the creators performed real magic to pull them from the pages, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone smartly uses its beefy runtime to tell an unmissable coming-of-age fantasy.

Distinct aesthetics create a strong, old-timey feel with John Williams' musical score complimenting with a special magic of its own. If there's any soundtrack that can transport millennials back to their younger, likely happier days, it's the haunting and epic magic Williams crafts for the film.

The Philosopher's Stone is pure imagination brought to life, and I have to give credit to absolute standout performances by Robbie Coltrane, Emma Watson, and Alan Rickman. Adaptations rarely hit as hard as the Harry Potter ones do, but even fewer scar pop culture in a way that, even two decades later, newbies and fans alike can be ensouled by the magic here.

Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire angers me. I always make an effort to avoid anything I plan to review (as best I can in this age of social media shenanigans), but Zack Snyder has this strange ability to whip online pundits into a frenzy. So, my timelines across the board flooded with unwavering loyalty and gleeful hate, leaving me frankly terrified to step into Netflix's new space opera epic.

That's not what angers me, though. No, what angers me is, as much as A Child of Fire gets right, it's a smorgasbord of plots done better...and I still had a damn good time.

Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire is a frustrating experience that hasn't met a sci-fi or fantasy story it doesn't like. It's worn, overly reliant on tropes, and far too indulgent in layering slow-motion scenes on top of slow-motion scenes... ...and I still absolutely loved it. Visually stunning and satisfyingly punchy, Part One of Snyder's new franchise is a fun watch and potentially potent foundation that just might reach the cult status it so desperately wants to skip to.

The phenomenon that is Stranger Things largely passed me by when it appeared on many an avid fan's screen in 2016. It was on my radar thanks to insane hype but never really piqued my focus.

Damn...did I deprive myself.

Season 1 is a masterclass in balancing genres. The near-seamless switch from 80s science fiction to fantasy to spine-tingling horror is so smooth it's almost criminal. Characters that steal your heart abound, and, in the town of Hawkins, Indiana, there's never a moment when the tension lets up.

So, while I might be late to the party and all on my lonesome with my experience, I am here, I am partying, and I'm not gonna stop. Season 1 of Stranger Things is damn near perfection in its themes, tone, and execution, mixing the colourfully goofy aesthetic of the 80s with supernaturally charged horror. It's balanced, smooth, and does what all shows wish they could from the outset: Stranger Things captures lightning in a bottle.

Slickly shot and smartly acted, The Killer is an enjoyable couple hours if you don't mind style over substance. Fassbender and Swinton turn in stunning performances but can't quite hold the delicate plot and characterisation long enough for it to say anything on par with how fantastically the film is shot. Sound design helps highlight the hard-hitting action but its slow pace feels at war with the rest of The Killer's parts, forcing it to rely on repeating the main character's mantra over and over again in order to ensure viewers understand what exactly is happening as his world seemingly collapses.

I was trying to remember if I'd ever watched the Tom Cruise movies that adapted the character, but either I didn't or the casting was so off I completely forgot about it. Regardless, not many stories get a second chance, and Reacher nails it. Alan Ritchson proves he should've been the titular character all along as he's thrown into a small-town conspiracy he wants nothing to do with. Twisty and turny, new viewers will delight in it while readers will be impressed with just how faithful and fresh it is.

Season 1 of Reacher is loyal to its source material, smartly fresh for those familiar with it, and anchors itself with excellent casting. Alan Ritchson (and I'll say it till I'm blue in the face) embodies the titular character with affable confidence, heightening the brutality of the well-paced action which comes with its own crisp choreography. A dash of twists here, some bonding there, and Reacher joins a short list of properties that should be regarded as the templates for adapting something to small or big screens.

Hogwarts Legacy starts and finishes strong, with its middling middle part carried by truly tremendous aesthetics and inspired music. It's the love letter to fans of the franchise and a world that's a joy to explore. Do much more than that, however, and you're in for a repetitive and bland slog through identical dungeons and fetch quests. Clever puzzles do go a way to breaking that up and satisfying combat benefits from a varied but tame collection of spells, but with bugs and glitches preventing some areas of progress, Hogwarts Legacy brought the timeless atmosphere of the Wizarding World to life at the expense of its own identity.