The Dark Tower (2017)

The Dark Tower (2017)

Dir.  Nikolaj Arcel

'The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.' Those twelve words, the opening paragraph in the first part of Stephen King's fantasy western opus, will resonate with anyone that's read the book. Nothing about the film adaptation, however, has even the slightest hint of such resonance.

It begins with Jake (Tom Taylor) in NY, which, as fans will know, means it draws from more than the first book. The boy is having dreams about the Tower that include the Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey); but revealing the primary antagonist so early robs him of any and all mystery; he's a man who ought to be partially defined by his elusiveness. But that's only the beginning of the film's failings; there are many, many more reasons to turn off.

The Ring: US Movies (2002—)

01. The Ring (2002)

Dir. Gore Verbinski

An English language remake of Dir. Hideo Nakata's Japanese language adaptation of Koji Suzuki's popular Ring novel (1991). It's good that horror fans who are unable to read or who simply don't like foreign films can experience the story, but, alas, they'll be getting a much weaker version of it, I feel.

I've known some people who've seen both and favour Verbinski's version, but I can't fathom why. It's not terrible, but it's pretty dull by comparison. That's mostly what Part 01 of this post will be, a comparison, not a standard review, so there'll be unreserved SPOILERS for BOTH versions. Please bear that in mind if you choose to read it.

The Legend of Zelda Manga: Legendary Ed. Vol. 05 (2017)

Four Swords: Parts 1 and 2 (2004)

Author and Illustrator: Akira Himekawa | Page Count: 370

"There's a new Link in this chain!"

I've not played the Four Swords Adventures (2004) game because the stores near where I lived didn't stock it and I didn't have access to online retailers back then, but after reading the two-part adaptation, I'm wishing that I could play it right now!

After some brief but satisfying establishing of Link's uppity nature and his friendship with Princess Zelda, the Big Bad is unleashed and the adventure begins.

The environments will be familiar to anyone that's played any of the previous games (Town / Mountain / Ice / Desert regions, etc) but that familiarity didn't result in reader apathy because the situations that the Links find themselves in held my attention completely.

The comedy is situational and more often than not caused by some kind of confrontation; it's rarely the goofy kind that I complained about in Oracle of Seasons (2001), so it's much more enjoyable.

The Legend of Zelda Manga: Legendary Ed. Vol. 03 (2017)

Majora's Mask (2001) / A Link to the Past (2005)

Author and Illustrator: Akira Himekawa | Page Count: 402

"As long as I see that in the sky, I can't rest."

Majora's Mask continues the story told in Ocarina of Time (2000). Link enters a mysterious forest searching for his missing fairy, Navi, but trouble ensues and the 'Hero of Time' ends up in a situation wherein he has just three days to stop a major disaster or everyone caught in the impact will die.

The way the Nintendo 64 game is structured doesn't make any kind of linear adaptation easy, so Akira Himekawa took the only sensible route open, which was to focus on the acquisition of those masks that directly alter Link and ignore all but the most pertinent side-quest, i.e. the one that offers the most opportunity to pluck at the heartstrings. If you've played MM, you can likely guess which one that is.

Consequently, a lot more changes have been made to the story than was made to Ocarina of Time, but in most cases they were arguably unavoidable and, as before, they're very respectful.

The Legend of Zelda Manga: Legendary Ed. Vol. 02 (2017)

Oracle of Seasons / Oracle of Ages (2001)

Author and Illustrator: Akira Himekawa | Page Count: 386

"Use your left hand! Your left!"

The two 'Oracle' Game Boy Colour games that were released simultaneously in 2001 got their own individual manga adaptation. The games were connected but also cleverly designed to be enjoyed independently in whichever order the player chose.

You could say the same of the two books — originally published separately — but it makes slightly more sense to read Seasons before reading Ages. Whether by coincidence or design, the featured Legendary Edition also presents the two books that way.*

Oracle of Seasons begins in Hylia. Link balks at the suggestion that he should practice his sword skills more fervently. He doesn't yet understand why Hyrule needs knights who are willing to lay their life on the line to protect its citizens, but the power of the Triforce will soon change all that…

Godzilla: Reiwa Era Films (2016—)

29. Shin Godzilla (2016)

Dirs. Hideaki Anno + Shinji Higuchi

NOTE: numbering continues sequentially from the Millennium Era. For simplicity I've used English titles, but it's always the Japanese language versions of the films that I refer to.

Another hard reset of the franchise, with a new creature design and new origin story behind it.

The majority of the film involves politicians, bureaucrats, military leaders, etc, talking about how to deal with the irradiated daikaijū threat.

It utilises fast cuts to give the impression that things being discussed hurriedly is some kind of compensation for things being uninteresting - but it's really not. The first hour in particular is dense with such dry, ponderous dialogue.

Godzilla, referred to as male more than once in the English subs, is mostly CGI, mo-capped so that it moves kind of like a man in a suit. It gets points for good intentions, but ultimately it's just another CGI creature with zero personality. If I wanted that I'd watch the American films.

AER: Memories of Old (2017)

AER: Memories of Old (2017)

Genre: Adventure | Players: 1 | Developer: Forgotten Key

AER: MoO deserves praise for a number of things, but perhaps not so much as an actual game. That doesn't mean it's a joyless experience, though. I enjoyed much of it, for the brief time that it lasts.

Its biggest influences are Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda, specifically Skyward Sword (2011), which is the least fun I've ever had with a LoZ game, and Thatgamecompany's majestic Journey (2012).

It has a similar setting and makeup as SS, (i.e. set upon floating land masses in the sky, with a few dungeons/temples that must be visitied in order to progress) and attempts the same kind of soulful pilgrimage that Journey handled so perfectly.

Both the aforementioned games feature a wordless protagonist, as does AER. Her name is Auk.

Auk is a shifter, able to transform at will into a large bird, enabling her to traverse from one floating island to another with ease. The actual transformation is fluid and pleasing to do, performed by a single button-press, both ways.

Upstart Crow (2016–)

Upstart Crow (2016–)

18 episodes, approx 29 mins each + 3 Christmas Specials, approx 49 mins each.

In the simplest terms, if you like Shakespeare and enjoyed the format of the Blackadder TV series, then Upstart Crow is probably for you.

Written by comedian Ben Elton, it portrays the bard as a playwright struggling for inspiration and unappreciated by his family and friends.

David Mitchell is wonderful in the title role, as is Liza Tarbuck as his wife Anne Hathaway, the only one of his group that truly understands him.

To get the most from the series you'll need some pretty sizeable knowledge of Shakespeare's written works and of events in his personal life, including that of his contemporaries (e.g. Kit Marlowe and Robert Greene) and be aware of the various theories regarding authorship.

That's an unusually high level of prerequisite for a sitcom to ask of its audience, but if you have it, then you're going to have a lot more fun.

Ghost in the Shell README: 1995-2017 (2017)

Ghost in the Shell
README: 1995-2017 (2017)

Author: Shirow Masamune (?) | Page Count: 160

'How am I supposed to stay motivated without my bassets?' - Mamoru Oshii

Described by publisher Kodansha as 'The definitive history of the most influential cyberpunk anime of all time!', the Ghost in the Shell README is perhaps more accurately described as being little more than a cash-grab tie-in detailing the plots of the various filmed versions of Shirow's original manga.

It opens with a brief look at the 2017 live-action movie. An attempt is made to sing its praises but it seems halfhearted at best, and a failure at worst. Having viewed the film, I can understand the trouble the writer must've had, because, besides its visuals, the live-action movie is the worst interpretation that GitS has had thus far - to put it more plainly, the movie is garbage.

Ghost in the Shell (2017)

Ghost in the Shell (2017)

Dir. Rupert Sanders

If I was in a charitable mood I'd maybe feel a little sorry for Hollywood. Why? Because it had been ripping-off Mamoru Oshii's anime adaptation of the original Ghost in the Shell manga for about two decades by the time their version of the story came out.

As a result, instead of looking original and excitingly new to modern film audiences, it looked simply like it was ripping-off all the movies that had ripped-off Oshii's film.

Some days you just can't win. Not that I'm suggesting it in any way deserves to win, it really is a bad film, for many, many reasons, but it's fair to say that it was kind of boned before it even began. And then the terrible casting nailed the heavy coffin lid even tighter.

But I'm going to back up a little. As stated, I'm not feeling charitable, but I am feeling fair. With that in mind, I'll wholeheartedly try to judge it on its own merits, touching a little on how successfully it adapts ideas from its source text.

The Ghost in the Shell: Five New Short Stories (2017)

The Ghost in the Shell: Five New Short Stories (2017)

Authors: Toh Enjoe / Gakuto Mikumo / Kafka Asagiri / Yoshinobu Akita / Tow Ubukata | Translation: Unknown | Page Count: 187

'Her cyborg form was an established item and not all that uncommon, but there was something special about the figure she cut. Something divine, divorced from this ugly world.'

The blurb on the back cover claiming that Five New Short Stories is a 'standalone collection' that 'requires no familiarity with the franchise to be enjoyed' is what's known outside of the publishing world as a falsehood, a fib, a damned lie, bullshit, because prior knowledge of GitS is needed.

Even ignoring the fact that someone new to the franchise will have no clue who the characters are, or any knowledge of their particular levels of cyberization, right from the very first story, a first-person narrative named Shadow.net by Toh Enjoe, prior knowledge is needed (specifically, Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. Solid State Society).

She and Her Cat (2017)

She and Her Cat (2017)

Author: Makoto Shinkai | Illustrator: Tsubasa Yamaguchi | English Translation: Kumar Sivasubramanian | Page Count: 180

'She always waits for the phone to stop ringing, then checks to see who called.'

It's possible that I've used the word 'wistful' in the past in a less than complimentary way, but in this instance it's very much in the form of praise. Shinkai's ability to express in an understated but powerful way the regretful longing that the word implies is heartbreakingly sincere and rarely ever saccharine.

The blurb on the back cover does a good job of explaining what the book is about without spoiling anything, which is a rare achievement. The story isn't particularly deep, but it will have a poignant resonance for some folks. It's adapted from Shinkai's own short OVA of the same name, which came out in 1999. I posted a very brief review of it HERE.

Sheridan: Sheridan (2017)

Sheridan (2017)

Actors releasing pop albums isn't a new thing; it's often a forgettable thing, but every now and again there's an actual diamond among the dross.

British actress Sheridan Smith's début album is a varied collection of covers that went into bargain bins within a year of release. But don't equate price or the actions of clueless store managers with quality. Being at a reduced price just means that you'll get an even better deal, because the collection is really very good.

Her voice is soaring when needed, but equally good at being soft, playful, fragile and, at best, heartfelt.

Yakuza Kiwami (2016 / 2017)

Yakuza Kiwami (JP: 2016 / WW: 2017)

Genre: Action/Adventure | Players: 1 | Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio (SEGA)

Kiwami (meaning 'ultimate' or 'extreme') is an updated, overhauled and expanded PS4 remake of the very first Yakuza game, which was a PS2 exclusive title that received its western release in 2006, a year after its original Japanese release.

With it being the first game done over it'd be natural to assume that it's a perfect jumping on point for new players, but that's not quite the case. It does an okay job at being such, but there's a small number of sub-stories that follow on from occurrences in the previous year's Yakuza 0 (2015), a prequel game set in 1988, seventeen years before Kiwami. So if you want to be clued-in with regards every minor plot thread, you'll need to have played Yakuza 0 first.

The downside to that approach is that Yakuza 0, though set earlier in time, is a more accomplished and varied game. The devs did a tremendous job updating most parts of Kiwami, but lessons learned from and since the original game and its sequels, particularly regarding mission structure but also in storytelling and event timing, mean that for some players Kiwami's ageing game engine may feel dated and clunky by comparison.

Yakuza 0 (2015 / 2017)

Yakuza 0 (JP: 2015 / WW: 2017)

Genre: Action/Adventure | Players: 1 | Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio (SEGA)

A prequel set in December, 1988, seventeen years before the events of the first game in the long-running Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku) series.

It begins with main protagonist Kazuma Kiryu (box art, front right, white suit) on the streets of Kamurocho, Tokyo, having just kicked seven shades of shit out of some guy. But it's not just violence for the sake of it; the act itself is central to the story and to Kiryu's development and decision making, here and in the aforementioned first entry. How a man responds to violence is a measure of his character, and for Kiryu that measure is a large part of what defines him.

The earlier era means Kiryu is younger (and a little more arrogant), but it influences gameplay in other ways, too, such as the technology on offer (e.g. a pager instead of a mobile phone) and the layout of the map. Anyone familiar with the layout of the streets and alleyways of Kamurocho will find it slightly different to how it will look seventeen years hence, with one omission being particularly notable.

Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77 (2017)

Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77 (2017)

Authors: Marc Andreyko / Jeff Parker | Illustrators: David Hahn / Karl Kesel / Bill Williams | Page Count: 144

"In the brightest flash of light my young eyes had ever seen...Wonder Woman appeared!"

Holy logical team-ups! Gotham's Caped Crusader pairs with Themyscira's most famous daughter in a heavenly crossover that's even better than I hoped it would be.

The two distinct eras aren't ignored or glossed over; they're an essential part of the structure. If you're familiar with each hero's respective TV show, you'll know that Season 01 of Wonder Woman is set in 1940s America, making it not inconceivable that Diana Prince could've visited Bruce Wayne's home town before her return to Paradise Island and her Season 02 adventures.

Being in Wo Wo Season 01 era means there's Nazis to deal with; they're hunting for two rare books that are more important than even their rich owner knows.

Clive Barker's Nightbreed: Complete Collection (2015-17)

Clive Barker's Nightbreed: Vol 01 (2015)

Authors: Clive Barker / Marc Andreyko | Illustrator: Piotr Kowalski | Page Count: 112

"Midian calls to all of her children."

Given the choice, I'd rather have had a sequel novel than a prequel comic book, but a comic version of Nightbreed that's canon is better than nothing at all, I guess.

It's a story set in the present, broken periodically with flashbacks to years before. To confuse matters, the 'present' is the year the film is set (so, yes, you'll need to have viewed the film prior to reading) and the flashbacks are from a number of different perspectives, each one telling the story of how a particular member of the collective lived prior to finding the safety of Midian.

I had a secret hope that the short series would do what the film itself failed to do: flesh out the inner-workings of Midian and deepen the concerns of the creatures, warts and all, beyond just 'we may be ugly on the outside, but humans are morally uglier on the inside'.

Akira: 35th Anniversary Box Set (2017)

Akira: 35th Anniversary Box Set (2017)

Author + Illustrator: Katsuhiro Otomo  |  Publisher: Kodansha | Page Count: 2530

I knew in advance that Katsuhiro Otomo's seminal six-volume AKIRA manga was 2000+ pages, in total, but I wasn't expecting Kodansha's 35th Anniversary box set to be as mammoth as it is. It's the size of a hat box and heavier than a baby!

The scale of the work deserves a review that's a lot more in depth than I've time to give — the phenomenal world-building alone is worthy of a mini dissertation — so I'll limit my words to the presentation of the physical product, pictures of which are at the end of the post. (The image to the right is edited to fit my posting template.)

I suppose that means it's partially a review of the packaging, but that's not my goal. Given the costly RRP, it's about whether I feel it's worth it or not, but opinions on value will, of course, differ.

Scream! and Misty - Halloween Special (2017)

Scream! and Misty - Halloween Special (2017)

Authors: Guy Adams / Grainne McEntee / Feek / Kek-W / Hannah Berry / Alec Worley | Artists: John Stokes / Frazer Irving / Tristan Jones / Henry Flint / Simon Coleby / Warwick Fraser-Coombe / Ben Willsher / DaNi / Mike Hoffman | Page Count: 52

'His thirst for blood could be sated, but his longing for something else took hold. He wanted to be part of the hedonism, the nihilism, the dawning of another cycle in life's great illusion.'

Both Scream! and Misty have enjoyed a revived success of late, with two collected editions each (so far), so it made sense for publisher Rebellion to give us more. But what I wasn't expecting was that they'd give us NEW stories set in those worlds!

And they've been updated, set now in the current era of ubiquitous mobile phones and internet access. I can't speak with regards Misty, because I didn't read it back in the day, but the Scream! stuff works just as well despite the cultural and social sea-change since its original run (1984).

There are six stories included, two for each of the titles already mentioned, and two others that feature or bring together characters from other long-dead comics (e.g. Thunder, Buster, Speed, and Jet) that were not deemed important enough, it seems, to get a mention on the front cover and whose surprise inclusion makes it feel like we're getting less of what was advertised by the eye-catching cover art.

Child's Play / Chucky Movie Collection (1988—)

Child's Play (1988)

Dir. Tom Holland

Charles Lee Ray, aka the Lakeshore Strangler, is hunted by police. As a last resort, and thanks to some convenient knowledge of voodoo magic, the killer manages to transfer his consciousness to a popular kid's toy, the Good Guys doll.

Six-year-old Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent) loves the Good Guys franchise; he watches the cartoon on TV, eats the breakfast cereal, and wears the branded clothing. Andy's mom, Karen, a single parent, does her best to give the boy what he wants, and what Andy really, really wants is a Good Guys doll, naturally.

That's the basic set-up. Young Alex Vincent isn't annoying at all, which is not something that can be said for a lot of kids in films, and actress Catherine Hicks is believable as a mother with a 'compensating for absent father' attitude. But the most memorable character is the doll, Chucky, voiced by Brad Dourif. He's a sadistic, vindictive, foul-mouthed and merciless little shit. If you're a fan of black humour, he's also pretty damn funny at times.