oisinstaines Reviews

Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two (2021)

Such a good conclusion to part 1

[9/10 · 27 July 2021]

This is better than part 1 in my opinion. The war crime in Gotham comes at a heavy price. And Gotham City is at a crossroads in it's history. Is it the end of the Mafia's control on Gotham, with a new breed of villains pooping up to take over? This is the story that explores this transition in a vital part of Batman's history.

I loved seeing some of the rogues gallery in action for this new universe. Josh Duhamel's performance is really on point. The rest is great too but I really felt bad for Harvey Dent in this. The action scenes are better too and I loved that the movie also leaves some things open to the viewers opinions, like the book.

Looking forward to what comes next.

Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One (2021)

Another awesome DC Animated movie

[8/10 · 27 July 2021]

We've seen the bright skies and technology of Metropolis and Central City. Now see this new version of Gotham that reminds me very much of the The Animated Series. It's dark, brown and black. And it's from here we get our new Batman.

You really do get a sense him being new at times, which I appreciate. This is Year 2 and Gotham is at a tipping point. It's a great adaption of the best Batman book (In my opinion). The animation again is fluid and yet immediately says, "This is a comic book superhero story.".

Superman: Man of Tomorrow Justice Society: World War 2 Batman: The Long Halloween Pt.1

I'm liking where this is going. I suspect DC fans will too.

Justice Society: World War II (2021)

Awesome Stuff! DC Goodness.

[8/10 · 27 April 2021]

Big fan of the DC Animated Movies since a child. I really liked the continuity that was followed loosely The New 52 stories. When Man of Tomorrow came out I really enjoyed the colourful and vibrant world that was clearly setting up a new universe. That Superman was great and now we get a new Flash that I think really works well.

I really like this animation style. It's really fluid and the action was excellent in my opinion. Especially Wonder Woman's fighting scenes. It was great seeing the JSA doing their thing and seeing DC highlight other heroes than Batman was great to see. (Not that I dislike Batman. He's my favourite.)

Looking forward to the next instalment with Batman: The Long Halloween.

It's a great superhero flick that really feels like you're reading an older comic book.

Mortal Kombat (2021)

I wasn't pandered to, lectured to or beaten over the head with a message

[7/10 · 26 April 2021]

Was it great? No. Was it fun? Yup. Very cheesy at times. There could have been a lot more time given to allow the characters to develop as a team. Decent violence. I wish Hollywood made more of these types of movies. Movies where you just turn it on, turn off your brain and shake your head at the absurdity of it all. I enjoyed it and I hope a sequel gets made and improves on this fun mess.

Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)

#RestoreTheSnyderVerse

[9/10 · 18 March 2021]

Everything and more than I expected. A Batman with new found faith, a Wonder Woman that inspires, a Flash that is forever the optimist, an Aquaman that cares, a Cyborg with a heart and a Superman with a new lease of life.

I loved it. From start to finish. I closed the blinds, turned on the surround sound and experienced this bad boy in one sitting.

More of this please.

The Witcher (2019– )

A Fantastic Start to a Fantastic Series (Read the books!)

[8/10 · 28 December 2019]

Whether you were introduced to Geralt of Rivia through the CD Projekt Red's masterful game series or the brilliant book series, you are sure to find something to like about the show.

Like all TV shows in season one, it is still finding it's feet. Some pacing issues, some storylines not landing as well as they should, some iffy CGI (which was not bad, just could've been better in some cases, please use more practical effects in s2) and some forced diversity for the sake of diversity are the few nitpicks I had. It can be a tad bit confusing to those unfamiliar with the major plot of the books but it's not that hard to follow if you are paying attention. The timeline is pieced together slowly through watching, which I found great as it all clicks into place for the most part. I feel people would be complaining about this either way. Most casual fans are, well....casual viewers, and I've witnessed others say they were confused by all the names, places and plotlines at the start. The way the show handled it was pretty good in my opinion and it was better than an exposition dump in episode one, which would have also annoyed people, so you can't win. The only time I'll compare it to Game of Thrones is that people too, were confused by names, places and plotlines in episode one. The pieces fall into place nicely, especially by the end. Perhaps some place names along the bottom of the screen or a small text crawl at the start of each episode would help in the future. But you'll be fine for most part with time. It's a world were people have short attention spans and want all the answers now. It will all click.

With that out of the way, I'm going to say, HELL YEAH, I loved it. The cast is great, the main trio nailed it. Jaskier was spot on and I liked how they incorporated him into certain stories. Geralt was brilliant. The dry wit and the stoney expression hidden behind a heart of gold was brilliant in my book. Spoiler!! I can't wait to see Henry Cavill in Thanedd, with Ciri in Kaer Morhen, drinking in Regis' hut, getting kicked by Vilgefortz and hanging out with Milva. Spolier Over! Yen was great and I really enjoyed the flushing out of her backstory. Anya is a great actor in this and carries the arrogance and vale of anger well. She has a great connection with Geralt onscreen, which had to be great for it to work. Freya Allan did a great job with what she was given, seeing as her story doesn't really start until, what we now know will be season two. She is a great Ciri and will become a fan favourite if they keep doing what they're doing. Her role is only getting started. Same goes for Cahir, who is one of my favourite characters in the books.

The humour and flirty dialogue in the show very good. Every time Jaskier is onscreen I either laughed or grinned. The wordplay between Geralt and Yen is brilliant, fiery and intimate. Also, the soundtrack is a great mix of catchy tunes, haunting atmospheres and romantic interplay.

Finally, the swordplay is the best around. I don't really need to go into it too much. It's fast, violent and stylised. Oh and there's a lot of blood. Episode 3 is the highlight for me personally, seeing the Striga fight Geralt was executed to perfection in my opinion.

So yeah, a great start. I didn't mind some of the changes they felt needed to put it on a TV. I liked the characters, the world building and the set pieces. Bring on season 2.