Reviews

After hearing so many negative reviews about the movie, I was somewhat apprehensive to pay for a ticket to see this movie. I had seen a few episodes of the Nickelodeon series so I knew the background of the story somewhat, not going into this totally blind. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with the result. I believe that this is a very decent movie that was overwhelmed by the politics of Hollywood, and the overly-sensitive politically correct internet sensationalists that want to see their own star rise (even if it's only 15 minutes of fame). What we should take from this movie is the MESSAGE. This is a story of hope. This is a story of learning to care for one another no matter what your race or background, and this is also a story that even people we see as our enemies are sometimes misrepresented. They too can be pure of heart with the best of intentions in mind.

This is in no way a mega blockbuster like Avatar (I think THIS movie deserved that title more so than James Cameron's regurgitation and conglomeration of previous Hollywood movies), however it should get way more credit than the negative press and reviews it has garnered.

The Plusses:

Amazing special effects Great cinematography well paced well casted adult actors Story was easily digestible for an original Fantasy movie

The Minuses:

Child/teen actors were mediocre (but what can we really expect? They need time to improve)

I am definitely looking forward to future installments, and I hope M.N.S. will direct those as well. He set the mood and atmosphere very well in the movie. Where some people would seek to supplant story and acting with CG, I think M. Night maintained a good balance. Once this comes out on DVD, I think people will realize that it's actually a decent movie they should have seen in the theater.

I think this was a solid movie with a good script and story. I didn't feel like this story ever was reduced into the type of all out shoot-fest you sometimes see in movies in hopes of engaging the audience. I didn't expect a few of the plot surprises in the movie and I think the ending was handled very well too. Stephen Dorff, Cuba Gooding Jr, and all the actors worked really well off each other. Sometimes that's all that matters in order to make a solid movie. A good cast, a good script, and nobody trying to steal the show. At no time did I feel it was any one character's movie to lead. I think a score of 8 is a little high, but I think it's slightly better than a 7. Definitely worth a rent at the video store if you want a somewhat slow drama with well done characters.

Compared to most linear RPGs such as Final Fantasy, Saga Frontier 2 is a breath of fresh air. While the visuals are nowhere close to the quality you would find in other SquareEnix games, the "Generation" system is fairly unique. There are two main characters, Gustave and Wil Knights. You begin the game with Gustave as a young prince, and Wil Knights as an explorer. There is a world map covered with possible "chapters" in the story advancement that you can choose at your leisure. Instead of following a set path as you would in a traditional RPG, you can choose to play either scenario at anytime and progress through the years with one character while doing the different scenario at another time. The years progress, the characters get older, and even have children of their own whom you can control. The music is not overly suffocating, but not amazing in this game. The combo system, character roles, and amount of characters is definitely a plus for this game however. It seems totally random at first but by switching up techniques and spells, you can create massive, damaging combos on your opponents. It is also welcome to see all your enemies on the screen and choose to avoid them, rather than getting forced into random battles.

A solid game but not for everybody.