Reviews

In 1963, most of the folks behind Godzilla set out to adapt a Jules Verne–inspired junior novel into a major motion picture, the result was known in the U.S. as "Atragon." Over three decades later in 1995, it was given a new adaptation as a two part OVA: "Super Atragon."

I'll try to give the basic plot as spoiler-free as I can. Go, a young UN worker, and Annette, his girlfriend, are pitted against a sadistic villainess who is bent on the destruction of earth. The only weapon to prove effective against her is a top secret super- sub.

The voice acting is, for the most part, spot-on and sounds natural. There are a few moments of corniness but, that's more of a matter of getting the voices to match the lips than anything else. The animation is excellent, considering its age, (DVD limitations aside) with good attention to detail. Animation quality is not quite up there with Hayao Miyazaki's films but, infinitely better than "Space Thunder Kids." The music by Masamichi Amano and performed by the Poland National Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra remains powerful and rousing throughout the feature. I will sometimes play the DVD just to hear the score. One has to wonder if the project started as a feature film like its '63 predecessor.

Super Atragon is hands down one of my favorite animes. With good animation and superb sound, I recommend any fan of sci-fi to locate a copy of this. It's got good action with elements of mech, steampunk and cyberpunk. What's not to like! Did I mention this film was produced by Toho, the producers of the original film? Ten out of ten stars!

Ah, another blockbuster, another knock-off. This time, it is of the RoboCop remake. I picked the combo-pack from my local Best Buy today. Basic Plot: A human cop is teamed up with a machine while sinister forces watch and wait (hardly a spoiler, the box itself gives us as much). In other words, this is a RoboCop knock-off.

I will just tell it like it is. The action scenes are pretty good. Michael Jai White is visibly doing all his own fighting and probably most of his own stunts (minus a couple CGI stunts – you'll know them when you see them). No complaints about the hand-to-hand combat. And when the guns come out the shooting stays pretty exciting. It's on par with 3 Musketeers (also from The Asylum).

The CGI, in my opinion, deserves its own paragraph. For once, the CGI was developed in-house so The Asylum didn't have to rely on the always fake looking effects of "Tiny Juggernaut". The CGI looks way better and a certain vehicle used in the film looks very real, like it was actually there. That and those two afore-mentioned stunts were pretty much the only visual effects used in the whole movie. They didn't go for the "robot point-of-view" (like in AVH: Aliens vs Hunter) or have everything get CGI exploded (like in 3 Musketeers). Quite the opposite: when something blows up (and that's very seldom), it's with real explosives!

The acting is pretty good. All actors do a pretty good job. There's plenty of action movie acting and very little character development but, all in all, better than I've seen in similar films. Charles S. Dutton is really going for the Oscar at the end of the film. And one must give props to Randy Wayne who has the hardest job of all – the title character.

All things considered, this is an entertaining little movie. It's not perfect and switches from night time to day in some places; not to mention the plot holes. And yet, it delivers everything it promises. Often when someone says "a film from The Asylum", people panic and run the other way. But, if you give "Android Cop" a chance, you're in for a treat. I give this movie eight out of ten stars.

As one who spends a great deal of time playing video games, I find this DVD awesome! To actually take video game elements and make a serial out of it is astounding to me.

I won't give away much since the best way to experience anything "Terminator" is to see it for yourself. Here's just the basic plot: Before "Salvation" (but well after T3) Blair Williams is having some misadventures with a man who can remotely K.O. the machines.

Moon Bloodgood sounds excellent as she reprises her role from the feature film and her male counterpart known as "Ghost" has some decent voice acting as well. The video quality really isn't a factor since everything was lifted from video games.

If you enjoy gaming and find the Terminator franchise entertaining, this is a DVD to watch out for. Ten Stars!

This is an awesome kid-friendly tribute to the classic monsters and a look at how they hold up against the monsters of modern-day. I liked this one upon first viewing. Some films need to grow on a person and others are enjoyed the first go-round. "Monster Mash" is the latter. I can promise you that.

The story is very well written. The voice cast is phenomenal. Unfortunately, the quality of animation is a little low (If you've seen TV's "Sonic Underground" -also from DiC- this is more of the same) but that is the only blemish I could see. I'm not going to spoil the plot for anybody other than we see Frank, Drac, and Wolf (you know what their full names are) attempt to scare a typical family (with hilarious results). But, I will say this is an awesome Halloween party flick for the kids and adults will enjoy this as an alternative to the gory slashers that are all special effects and no performance.

I give "Monster Mash" 9 out of 10 stars. The one negative star is for the afore-mentioned low quality animation (We've all seen better come from DiC). This title might be difficult to obtain outside the Halloween season but, if you could locate a copy, get it! I just wish the DVD would have a "Scene Selection" but that's just personal preference.

This is my first review so please bear with me. I am a recent fan of the Hellraiser series and Hellraiser 3: Hell on Earth is my personal favorite.

I purchased this movie, Hellraiser: Revelations, yesterday and I got to say; I'm not certain why everybody is bashing this one. This is NOT the worst Hellraiser sequel ("Hellworld" still retains that title). Victor Garcia has booted Rick Bota out of the director's chair and gave us a flick that, fortunately, is much closer to the first two movies (and probably with less than half the money) than "Hellworld".

The number one criticism seems to be Doug Bradley's absence. I do agree on this point. Mr. Bradley turned down this role because he knew he couldn't keep up with the two-week schedule. It's true, his presence would have improved the film immensely. Stephan Smith Collins and Fred Tatasciore do a decent job but, there is no substitute for Bradley. I find it interesting though, that they had to dub in another voice for Pinhead. Does Stephan Collins' voice really sound that bad?

Never the less, "Revelations" is a great sequel is it's own right. I like this one a lot more than the previous sequel. Clive Barker has distanced himself from this one despite the fact it's "Hellworld" not "Revelations" he should be concerned about. If you are watching the series in order; after "Deader" you might want to skip "Hellworld" and go straight to "Revelations". This is a much better movie. Doug Bradley may be sorely missed but, Rick Bota certainly isn't. I give this review 7 out of 10. One negative star for Doug Bradley's absence and two negative stars for Collins and Tatasciore giving us a not-as-effective Pinhead.