Thursday, December 17, 2015

REVIEW: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (SPOILER FREE)



I'm not sure how to begin this review.  Because as I sit here, I'm still kinda just reflecting on how special this Star Wars movie is to me.  I was told by my family that this was a movie my father personally wanted to see.  I'm not sure why.  I am older than he was when the first movies came out, and when the prequels came out, let's just say that I was too young to get anything that was going on.  And now that I've seen Star Wars 7, I'm wondering if in spirit, this movie reflects what it was like all those years ago to see the words "Star Wars" grace the screen for the very first time.

Fans will be pleased to know that J.J. Abrams has given this franchise the new blood it has so desperately been needing for years now.  Fans will be treated to the nostalgia of the original trilogy (maybe a little too much if you ask me), the light-hearted humor that was welcoming in all the movies, and the glory of old familiar faces, while introducing us to new faces with characters that are just as interesting and entertaining.  Yes.  It needs to be said that Star Wars 7 is easily amongst the best of the franchise.  From the time you start reading the opening scroll, to when that all too familiar fanfare is playing during the credits.  It steers away from the complexity that made the Prequels so weak, and goes back to just giving us that old fashioned space-fantasy adventure that we all loved to begin with, and...that's about all I can say.

Now no, that's not my review, it just needs to be said that...there really isn't a lot done in this film that hasn't been done before.  I don't wanna call it a carbon-copy of the very first Star Wars movie (the 1977 movie, not Phantom Menace), but in many ways it very much feels like that, and I'm not sure if that's something I like or not.  It literally feels like there was a checklist of scenes that were fun and iconic from the very first Star Wars film, the slightly redone to fit this film.  From beginning to end. And I know a LOT of fans might roast me for pointing that out, but...I didn't come to see a redo of the first film.  I have a feeling that a lot of fans who go, hoping to see something new, might be disappointed.  BUT don't let that stop you, because the movie is by no means bad.  

In fact, that little jab at the movie up above might be my only problem with the movie on a whole.  And despite it feeling so...so very familiar, it does do things new, and it can be incredible to witness.  I absolutely loved Fin.  His attitude was laughable, enjoyable, and when he held that light saber, man he just channeled a badass for me.  In fact he has my favorite line of the movie, and my favorite background as far as new characters go.  But as I said, I'm keeping this spoiler free.  

The galaxy is as detailed as ever.  But if that wasn't enough, the combat has been taken to new heights.  It's not as clunky as it was in the late 70's and 80's.  It's energetic and tense.  And I'm gonna say, the light saber duel might just be my new favorite.  That Sith lightsaber that so many people have rebuked for its broadsword design?  It's actually pretty well done, and I must applaud them for taking risks in trying something new for that.  And speaking of risks, there are plenty done in the movie.  There will be some scenes that will leave you with your mouth open.  You might find yourself asking "did that really just happen?"  How the community reacts to those circumstances, I guess I'll find out in due time.

All in all, the film has succeeded in what we were hoping for.  J.J. Abrams was the perfect choice to direct this.  With his previous work in Star Trek (which I still like, even if it's different), he did have the practice under his belt.  He's reached into the heart of the franchise, and birthed something that the fans will love, no matter what age, and that was what made Star Wars great to begin with.  It starts well, keeps that energy, and leave you on a high, which only leaves you wishing the film were maybe 15 minutes longer.  But as for what awaits us in Star Wars 8...time will tell.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens, is issued with tough love, with small criticisms, a three and a half out of four stars.  If you're a Star Wars fan, you will want to see this movie.  With the legacy of this franchise, you'll have the time.  I fully expect this movie to not only break records, but give us a firm base for what to expect in the future.  THe bar has been raised for future Star Wars films.  Disney now has a challenge.  With a new Star Wars film to come out annually...I still have my doubts that they'll be able to keep up the pace.  But who knows?  Again, time will tell.

Feel free to share your opinion on the film down below.  And as always, thanks for reading.

Final Verdict: 3.5/4

Monday, November 23, 2015

Review: Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon



If you missed my throwback review to Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky last week, you may not be as aware of just how much I love this little spinoff series of Pokémon. Mystery Dungeon has quickly become my biggest love of the franchise. The intricate storytelling, the lovable characters, it's a treat for me. Some don't care for its repetitive gameplay, or style, and I will just say that's fine, it's not for everyone, but when a Mystery Dungeon game is coming over here to the states, you better believe that I'll be in line to pick it up. The fact that Super Mystery Dungeon came out on my birthday, made this all the more special for me. 

But how is Super Mystery Dungeon as a game? I was asking myself that over and over again as I unwrapped it and put it in my 3DS. I was nervous. If you don't know, the last entry of the franchise was a HUGE disappointment for me. Gates to Infinity had a few redeeming things, but all in all, it doesn't feel like a legit Mystery Dungeon game. It lacks the heart and soul that made me love this series in the first place. No interesting story, a bland partner Pokémon with little likable personality, no real tension or drama in what they call a story, and whenever there WAS tension or drama...I just didn't care. It just felt empty, and I never finished playing it. Well I've been playing Super Mystery Dungeon for the last few days now, and though I've not finished the main storyline, I am pleased to announce that Mystery Dungeon once again has that heart and soul of a true game in this series! 


Right off the bat, I was happy to see that the quiz has returned for the series.  In Gates to inifinity, not only were your choices for player and partner Pokémon extremely limited, but simply chose right off the bat what you wanted to be. Well, Super Mystery Dungeon brings back that quiz, and the extensive choices of who you wanna be.  BUT for those of you who will continue to complain about how the personality quiz just keeps you from your favorite Pokémon to play as, well guess what, you're in luck.  It asks you if the Pokémon it chooses out for you if satisfactory.  If it's not you can choose whatever one you want.  The same goes for your partner Pokémon, which is does a small new thing of trying to choose one out for you as well.  Some might argue that this nulllifies the quiz entirely, but honestly, I'm glad the quiz is back in the game, regardless of whether or not you choose who you want to be.  And I gotta say that the game has a clever subte intro when you first start up the game.  The top screen goes into the camera mode to simulate your presence in the actual human world, before this orb of light transports you into this tunnel where your quiz happens, and your Pokésona is revealed to you.  I thought that was pretty clever.

Already I was happy to be playing this game. But I was still nervous for the story.  What would we be doing? Now as I've said, I've yet to finish playing.  I don't know how close I am to the finish, or whatnot.  I never do.  And while the fist few levels can be kinda slow in story, the game does pick up and it's already grasped my imagination and my interest.  There are so many features and things about this story that have been improved over the last few Mystery Dungeon games, and after the triumph that was Explorers of Sky, that's saying a lot.  Speaking of which, this game does have its fair share of cameos from the previous games.  And by fair share, I mean they are all over the place.  They don't even count as Easter Eggs, they're all over the place.  In my short time, I've run into Corphish and Sunflora from the Wigglytuff Guild, Hydreigon, Quagsire, and Rampardos from Gates to Infinity, the game has Igglybuff, Wooper, and Budew in what I assume is a little homage to the bonus story mission of Igglybuff the Prodigy, and I even have full access to Team ACT from the very first games.  I'm not kidding.  I can send a level 56 Alakazam, a level 55 Tyranitar, and a level 36 Charizard on an expedition if I wanted to.  That's just a small handful of cameos I've come across, and I am betting I'll run into even more.

One thing I absolutely love about this game is the partner you choose.  Now the partner Pokémon has always been a favorite feature of these games.  The Pokémon you grow with, bond with and explore this world with is always loveable...for the most part (damn you Gates to Infinity), and it must be said that the personality, and overall character of you partner Pokémon has improved TENFOLD.  And I mean improved over each and every game in the series.  Even my beloved Sky.  While I will always love the partner pokémon of those other games, this one's personality is brought to a new life.  He shows more emotion, he's jittery, he's downright silly at times, and it's hard not to crack a smile at it at times.  He's a bit of a goofball, but a loveable goofball.  You join him, after you both are kinda outcasted amongst your other Pokémon friends, and begin to explore outside your town further and further, joining him in his dream to travel the world, map it, and eventually join what is known as the Epedition Society.    Yeah yeah, it's similar to the Wigglytuff Guild, but it's still cool in my eyes.  nd it absolutely needs to be said that your partner Pokémon and other Pokémon you take nito the dungeons are MUCH smarter than in previous games.  How smart?  They will notice if you're close to dying, and offer to heal you with an Oran Berry.  If you're fighting an enemy, they will position themselves in ways to lend assistance to take out that enemy.  If the room is covered in items, they will help you gather those items up.  This is impressive.  I've never seen the partner pokémon able to do all this before.  And your choices of teams will only be as diverse as your imagination, as this game features all 720 Pokémon, which is the first time such a game has been made.

Gameplay itself has evolved somewhat, and in many ways for the better.  It is more convienient to use moves now, and before Gates, I did not understand why I'd want to link moves, well this game gives you a reason to do that, and it's much more convienient to use those linked or alliance moves.  And this game will make you get in the habit of doing it more than you might want because for a long time, this game may just frustrate you beyond believability.  Super Mystery Dungeon might have earned it's title of super, because it is the most difficult Mystery Dungeon game I have ever played.  Where are I could plow through dungeons left and right in the other games, I found mysef scratching my head when moves that were SUPER EFFECTIVE were only doing ten damage to the opponent.  Yeah, during the first pat of this game, you really gotta strive to strengthen yourself, because you're gonna be tossed around.  A lot. One of the first missions, I found that I had to fight a Salamance at level 50.  I don't think I was past level 10 yet.I didn't do ANY damage to him in moves that surpassed 10 damage.  I had to continuously do Alliance moves, get revived by those Tiny Revive Seeds that aren't the same as normal revive seeds, until finally I just ate a blast seed and blasted his dragon ass away.  Yeah.  This game is ruthless.  It makes you think outside the box at times, and makes you prepare for expeditions in ways you never would before.  You'll find yourself maybe taking at least four evive seeds in with you, along with plenty of elixers, plenty of apples, and plenty of other things, that normally I wouldn't require more than one or two in the previous games.  Thankfully, the stronger you get the less stuff you'll find you need as you travel along, but in my case, I'm always overpreparing with the Revive seeds.  And remember, I've yet to run into things like those blasted Monster Houses...

There are other things in gameplay that I don't particularly care for.  One is the "pushing" of your partner Pokémon.  In previous games before this, if you wanted to backtrack, you could simply walk backward, and your partner would switch sides with you automatically. Now if you want that to happen, you need to hold the B button to switch, otherwise you'll just push him like a trainer pushes a boulder in Rocky Cave outside Cerulean City or wherever the heck that place is.  And while pushing can be beneficial at times, especially for me being a water Pokémon, who will often wander into the rivers and lakes of the mystery dungeons, I just can't help but feel that this push system could have been tweaked a bit more so that it wasn't so frustrating.  It's clunky, and I'm already missing the older system of just switching places, and having an inconvienient warp now and then.

Another thing, though this is mainly coming from my perspective as a 25-year-old adult male, is the fact that when first playing this, I found it weird that I was playing as a child in this game.  The game has you go to school in the beginning, the other Pokémon will talk to you like you're a child, you'll often run into problems that are pretty childish, but that's not so much a thing I am nagging about.  It's just something to look out for if you're anything like me, and enjoy playing games that aren't exactly targeted towards you as an audience. The music of Super Mystery Dungeon has also improved greatly.  I will say I miss the theme from Explorers of Sky, but the dungeon music sounds absolutely gorgeous, easily capturing the adventure spirit, and the mystery heart.  But even more than that, the simple music when you're with the other child pokémon just completely captures the moods and feelings.  It's another thing that cracks a smile on my face.

There are just so many things I want to talk about in this game that have been done right, that it's mind boggling.  I almost want to say that if you've not cared for the series before now, to give it a try.  It makes full use of the 3D screen unlike X, Y, OR, and AS do, with all the cameos, there are plenty of homages to the other games, and plenty of improvements and new features in this game that I've yet to try, heck I've already traveled to another Pokémon town, which is already a new feature.  It makes this world you're exploring seem bigger in so many ways.  And if that's not enough, Nintendo actually made a Buizel character.  I always wanted to see Buizel have a bit of a role in these stories, and Nintendo made one that almost fits my wishes to a completely.  In fact, I almost feel as if this game was made for me.  It came out on my birthday...so it might as well have been made like that for me.

Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon is a solid eight out of ten.  A must have for other Mystery Dungeon fans, and one you might wanna consider buying if you've not been in the Mystery Dungeon crowd before.  Even if you didn't like it, I wanna say give it another shot.  Rent it or something.  I feel that so much of this game has been improved.  Now whether or not the story itself is as good as Explorers of Sky for me may forever be a mystery, but already it's up there amongst my favorites.  And after the disappointing Gates game...that is always a welcoming sign.  I would sit here and type more out, but if you'll excuse me, I must return to Lively Town, and continue with my partner Jolt the Pikachu to map this world out, and discover the answers to the mystery as to why the world is acting like it is (the whole thing with Pokémon turning to stone is really boggling my mind right now).  Gotta get those answers!

Please feel free to share your thoughts on the game down below.  And as always, thanks for reading.

Final Verdict: 8/10

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

OLD VS NEW: The Hobbit

I'm gonna try something new.  This is an idea that I've playfully borrowed from the Nostalgia Critic...meh, I doubt he'll ever read this.  And if I'm mistaken...I have no money.  Don't sue me.  Recently, we finally concluded the Hobbit "trilogy" and well...most of you likely know by now how I feel about that series...if you don't, the review is up. But this isn't the first time the story of the Hobbit has gone on screen.  As some of you know, in 1977, Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr. directed an animated version of Bilbo Baggin's journey to the Lonely Mountain.  I was first introduced to this as a very small child, and it birthed my love of the world of J.R.R. Tolkien. Now as an adult, of course, the animated movie has problems, but again, if you've read my review of the trilogy by Jackson, you'll know that there are many problems in those movies too.  So with all that being said...which version tells the story of "The Hobbit" better?  Well I'm gonna narrow it down to five factors.  So sit back and relax and enjoy Old VS New: The Hobbit

The first factor I will be diving into will be the title character, Bilbo Baggins himself.  Which version portrays Bilbo better?  Now keep in mind that this doesn't include what he does in the movies per-say.  This is based soley on his personality, and overall portrayal on screen.  Does Martin Freeman make me feel like I am watching Bilbo Baggins?  To be honest...yeah.  Yeah he does.  In fact, in my review, I actually gave Martin the credit he deserved for portraying a great Bilbo Baggins.  That's not to say the animated doesn't do a good job either.  Bilbo is a complete rookie in the art of adventure, and throughout the book, he is constantly thinking about the comforts of home, and how he very much misses it.  In the animated movie, this is portrayed very well.  But there are times however, that I believe a lot of the character is just lacking overall.  Such as when the final battle of the five armies takes, place.  Bilbo seems a bit too chill in the animated version.  A line he says that is laughably cheesy, as the Dwarves charge the men and elves, is the line "Personally, I'd rather be back in Hobbiton."  He says it like it's just another day at the store.  In the Jackson movies, while there are times  I feel Bilbo is out of character, Martin puts more emotion into the role.  He not only misses his home, but shows concern for his companions, and at times, shows legit fear in certain situations.  It's a well performed role for Martin, almost on the scale of Frodo or Sam in the LotR trilogy if you ask me.  Martin took the role and became one with it.  Perhaps it was the limitations, but the animated version just can't rival that.  Point one goes to the trilogy.

The factor I'm going to look at is Gandalf.  Gandalf has always been a staple character in the lore of Middle Earth, and one of the most iconic characters in the universe.  And I gotta say that he's also well represented in both films.  Even in the Rankin/Bass version of Return of the King, Gandalf is decently represented.  But as the Nostalgia Critic pointed out in his own Old VS New of the animated LotR VS the Jackson LotR, Ian McKellen puts a phenomenal effort to the role of Gandalf. I dare say that he was the best cast member of the trilogy. So naturally, he'd be back for the Hobbit movies, and again, though there are times I feel he may be off (but I can't exactly blame him as he showed emotional difficulty in how Jackson shot these films), he still portrays the Gandalf I know and love. He speaks in riddles, proverbs, much like the Gandalf of the books. In the animated version, while the voice acting is absolutely great, he feels more like an adventurer who goes straight to the point. I guess that's a disadvantage of having less time to fully portray Gandalf as he should be depicted. Ian shows life in Gandalf, a passionate character, a concerned character, and the fondness of Bilbo really shows in both trilogies. In the animated version, the only character showing any real fondness of anyone is Bilbo of Gandalf. Gandalf barely pays any attention whatsoever. Now that isn't to say that there aren't times I feel like Gandalf is out of character, like the possible love interest with Galadriel...but he still outshines the animated version by a long shot, and easily gets the point for the trilogy. 

Our third factor is one of my favorite factors of the story, which is the dragon, Smaug. Now...as far as appearance goes, the Jackson films easily take the cake. Smaug was a CGI marvel, almost rivaling that of Godzilla. Almost. He was incredibly built up in the first film, and looked great in the other films. But that is about all I can say about him. Why? Because...he just doesn't represent the Smaug I know and love. Now that isn't to say that the animated version is perfect, because Lord knows he isn't. He almost looks like a cat in appearance. But as far as personality, the animated version nearly nails it. It near perfectly portrays Smaug as the arrogant and boastful dragon he is. The Jackson films do a decent job at it...but they overdo it. There are times in the movies that Smaug is just laughable as a dragon. He never uses the fire when it would benefit him most, he doesn't act like the dragon I know to be a fearsome beast, and man...the best part about Smaug was just incredibly dull in the Jackson films...the boasts. The boasts in the animated version are phenomenal. In fact, the entire encounter with Smaug and Bilbo is very well done in the animated series, but you can go on YouTube, and look up the animated version of Smaug's boast, and it is just incredibly done. I also gotta say that the voice of Smaug is better in the animated. It's deeper, and much more intimidating. And Smaug acts much like the Dragon we are supposed to believe is threatening. He nearly incinerates Bilbo numerous times, and when he attacks Laketown, he doesn't do any boasting or stalling. He just goes to town and razes the town. He doesn't play games. He takes Laketown by surprise, and that is the Smaug I know. It's this ferocity and all around personality that takes this point. Jackson nailed the look, but that was all he nailed. The Animated version takes this point.

The fourth factor I will look are the minor characters of the story, which include the Dwarves, the Bowmen, and other characters. There's plenty to talk about. The Jackson movies I believe portrayed the...important dwarves at least rather well. But a downside that the Jackson movies do is the fact that they concern themselves with cameos and original characters that don't even appear in the book. It's an argument that's been done before, so I will keep it brief, but these characters do absolutely nothing to enhance the story. Tauriel is this elf who serves to be in this love triangle between Legolas who appears, and Kili. I was open to this, but it wasn't executed well enough for me to care enough. In fact, some of Tauriel's dialogue in the movie is absolutely laughable. In a bad way. It is some of the most clichéd dialogue I have heard since Attack of the Clones or Revenge of the Sith batter between Anakin and Padmé. And THAT was pretty bad. Jackson also tries to fit in Galadriel and Saruman in ways that just don't fit if you ask me. If he'd bother trying to flesh out the other characters of the actual Hobbit story, I wouldn't have such a if deal, but even that is portrayed off if you ask me. There were multiple times that Thorin didn't seem like Thorin, and Bard had been downgraded from a nobleman of respect to this...laughing stock of a fisherman almost. In the animated version, while the Dwarves aren't focused on as much, the tension between Thorin and Bilbo only builds similar to that in the novel. Thorin rarely smiles or looks at Bilbo in favor because he holds doubt that Bilbo can benefit them at all. Much like the book. And because I love epic speeches, Bard in the animated version does in fact do the epic Black Arrow speech from the book...you know, instead of that over the top steadying the arrow on the son's shoulders nonsense of the Jackson movies. Little things the Animated version does that make me appreciate the minor characters more than the trilogy. Which gives the animated version the overall point.

The fifth and final factor I will look at is the overall story itself. Which version successfully portrays the story of the Hobbit?  Both have their strengths and weaknesses in the story, but I'm going to point out the biggest deciding factor.  When the Nostalgia Critic decided which was superior with the LotR movies, he immediately pointed out that the Jackson movies were told mutch stronger because unlike the animated version, each movie represented a book in the trilogy, where the animated tried cramming the first two into one, thus resulting in a weaker story. Here, ironically it's the exact opposite. The Hobbit doesn't have three books, it is one book. And while it's a long book, the trilogy was unnecessary. There are things not associated with the story that never should have been. And before you bring that aged argument in that Gandalf's sidequest is written in the Silmarillion, that doesn't justify its inclusion in the trilogy. It doesn't. It ironically makes Gandalf look really stupid in my opinion, especially when he, Saruman, and Galadriel talk about Sauron's return and the One Ring...you'd think Gandalf would at least inquire of Bilbo's magic ring that he knows he possesses. But that's beside the point. Forcing the Hobbit into a trilogy was a huge mistake, because while the Animated film may have a few problems of its own in story, it kept the focus on where it needed to be kept. Bilbo. The Hobbit isn't meant to be a love story, it's not meant to foreshadow the Rise of Sauron, it's not meant to be anything, but one Hobbit's adventure into a bigger world. And the animated version nailed that. Jackson may have nailed a lot of characters, but how can I appreciate Martin's performance when he is constantly shelved, while the spotlight shines on Elf and Dwarf romantic drama? Or something that won't even come into play until the actual next trilogy? The Animated film may not look as visually appealing in action, may have story inaccuracies of its own, but it knew the story it was telling from beginning to end, which is why I can easily call it the superior film.  The Jackson films have enjoyable aspects, but all in all, they do not hold up to the original story they are supposed to be telling. 

The final point goes to the Rankin and Bass Animated Version, the superior film. 

Agree with what I've said? Feel free to share your thoughts down below, and as always, thanks for reading. 

Friday, September 11, 2015

ALBUM REVIEW: Repentless by Slayer


I haven't written a music review in a while, so this will be a little fun.  Let's talk about Slayer.

Okay, I will not lie.  Going into this album, I was VERY skeptical.  I love Slayer.  The controversy, the energy, the dark music, lyrical themes, it's a devil side of me that I enjoy...despite ironically holding to a faith that completely opposite, but that's beside the point.  The point is, after the awesome album that was "World Painted Blood", I wasn't sure exactly how they could go further.  And then all this stuff with Dave Lombardo and Kerry King happened...and of course, we had the tragic passing of Jeff Haneman.  I wasn't the only Slayer fan in doubt.  I was starting to think it was time for Slayer to throw in the towel.  They've been beat up lately.  And with the  rehiring of Paul Bostaph, who was the drummer for Slayer throughout most of the 90's, I gotta say I was skeptical.  The only album I really liked by Slayer with Bostaph sitting on the throne was "God Hates Us All" (ironically also released today....14 years ago....talk about your horrible coincidences).  The first track I heard from this album, "Implode" only strengthened my worries.  I wasn't sure what I was hearing.  So...the album was released today.  How does it hold up?

Well...better than I thought.  It's safe to say that Slayer isn't letting the hard times get them down.  And that's something to be admired.  But I will say that for what it was hyped out to be by Kerry King, as the "Reign in Blood" for Paul Bostaph, I am honestly not sure I agree that it's all that it was said to be.  In fact, after the first few tracks, I kinda feel the album is lacking in many areas.  The tempo is slower than the average Slayer album (say for bits and pieces in the album), which to me is rather questionable.  There's a charm in Slayer songs I find it hard to headbang in tempo with.  With "Repentless", while its fun to headbang in time, and mind you there are a lot of moments in this album I found myself headbanging to, I can't help but feel that there's just something missing.

The opening tracks of this album are great.  It's got a fun and dark opening instrumental, leading into the intense title track, and I gotta say, Tom sounds great.  It's hard to imagine a guy his age able to scream as intense as he can still.  I immediately get that energy that he has been so great at giving for the past 30 years.  He keeps that energy throughout the album.  There's no lack of energy like in albums I feel he didn't do too well in such as the 1998 disappointment "Diabolus in Musica" and even bits and pieces of "Divine Intervention". He is shouting all the way through, and it's wonderful to hear.

And I will say that despite Jeff's mastery of the riff no longer a part of this band, Slayer does still know how to give some good melodies and riffs.  Kerry...I still think he's a bit of a jackass, but he's doing his part to keep Slayer alive, and that is something to be admired.  And if Gary Holt is indeed here to stay with Slayer now...he's about as good a replacement as they could ask for.  He doesn't fall behind, and he has fun with the group.  And with Paul back, and blasting as well as he did on "God Hates Us All", the Slayer sound is ripe, and much cleaner than what it was in the 90's.  I will say that I think it was cleaner with the previous two albums, but "Repentless" does indeed present a much cleaner sound than the albums of the 90s.  

There are a few questionable tracks, such as "Cast the First Stone", which almost made me wonder if they were paying on the lowest tuning of the guitar they could.  Honestly during the opening, I could almost see the strings vibrating lazily off the guitar.  But it should be said that the enjoyable tracks outweigh the questionable ones. As I said, I enjoyed the title track, but I also enjoyed "Vices", "When the Stillness Comes" and "You Against You".  Even "Implode" sounded better than from what I remember.  Maybe I just needed a second listen.  I'm not sure.  But there are moments in this album that I question.  For example, the opening of "Cast the First Stone" and the ending of the album, which is something I feel should match the intensity of the opening of any album, especially in a Slayer album. I feel the ending kinda fades away in this rather dirty ending.  It's almost comparable to Metallica's white noise ending of the album of St. Anger.  Maybe that's a bit of an overstatement....no that IS an overstatement, but it is one of the things I thought of when I heard it, and I'm not sure it fits here.  But it's a minor gripe, and for what the album is, most of the gripes I have do not detract from the overall enjoyment of this album.

Do I like the album?  Yeah.  I like it a lot.  But do I like it to the point where I will call it the "Reign in Blood" of Paul Bostaph?  Probably not.  Those are some big words, and this album doesn't have that kind of material to match that.  It has great material, but nothing quite on that scale.  But the ride is still enjoyable, and Slayer has proven to this fan who was in doubt, that they're not dead yet.  Do they have more in the future?  I hope to see at least one more, maybe a bit more energetic than this one, but if they can keep the brutality that they've captured here, and the darkness that they are so famous for, I think Slayer fans have nothing to fear, and only hopes for some good times up ahead.  If you were in doubt like I was, give it a listen.  If you are expecting the album to live up to Kerry's words...maybe approach with caution, but don't pass this album up.  

Slayer...you have my attention again.  And I thank you for getting it.  

Album Grade: B

Friday, August 28, 2015

THROWBACK REVIEW: Jackie Chan Adventures (Season One)


I loved growing up in the 90's.  Say what you want, but I firmly believe that some of the strongest cartoons out there formed in this little era.  I mean yeah, a lot of them were silly, pointless, and whatnot, but if you ask me, the late 90's and early 2000's house some of the best cartoons out there.  You can argue that cartoons that came out in the early 2000's shouldn't really be considered for the 90's generation, but I make a few exceptions as I wasn't in high school until about 2005.  But before those high school years, there was only one place I went for my cartoon doses.  And a lot of you with me in the 90's nostalgia will immediately agree with me.  Kids WB.  If you had Kids WB, your life was set.  Since I didn't have cable, I didn't grow up with Cartoon Network, but I didn't care.  Everyday after school, it was rush down to the television to see what Kids WB had going on, every Saturday Morning, it was Kids WB.  No FOX Kids, no ABC One Saturday Morning, it was all about the Kids WB.  Everything cool was on there.  Batman Beyond, Static Shock, Animaniacs, Batman Superman Adventures, Men in Black, The Zeta Project, Hysteria, Detention, do I need to go on?  I could go on and on listing some of the shows I loved watching.  Hell, it was where Pokémon Fever started in the US.  I didn't need Toonami!  In fact, Toonami moved to Kids WB for a while!  Why wouldn't they? Kids WB was on top of the world!  The WOOOOOOORRRRLD!!!!

But I will give praise to Kids WB probably another day.  For now, I'm just gonna focus on a show that I didn't think I would enjoy so much when it was introduced...and yet it surprised me.  I say that I didn't think I'd enjoy it, because the title character was a guy I wasn't too familiar with.  It was something more my nextdoor neighbor childhood friend loved, as he was into the martial arts and whatnot.  In fact, he still looks up to Jackie Chan as a bit of a life idol.  And who can blame him?  Back in the day, Jackie Chan was arguably the world's most famous stuntman.  Capable of doing insane stunts regardless of how difficult it looked, and of course, those fast fists were always exciting to watch.  He's become one of my favorite people to watch on screen.  So when it was announced on Kids WB that a new show, simply entitled Jackie Chan Adventures was coming soon, I'm sure a lot of people were excited.  Why wouldn't they be?  Jackie Chan in real life is awesome enough to watch, but as a cartoon?  The sky was the limit.  My only concern though would have been that Jackie Chan was the star of a lot of Kung-fu movies.  ANd while each is entertaining in and of itself, a lot of them are pretty dumb and forgettable movies.  In fact, there's only a handful of them that I really enjoy and would watch again. So how could they make Jackie Chan Adventures something that would make me want to come and watch it again?  Well...they did.  Because even today, I think Jackie Chan Adventures is one of the best cartoons out there.  It had a five season runtime, but I am gonna stick to the first season for now.  Maybe another day, I'll give the other seasons a review, but let's just stick to season one for now.

The show stars the titular Jackie Chan, a rather talented "amateur" archeologist, who lives with his...uncle named Uncle.  This is actually one of the show's biggest and most subtle joke.  Never is he referred to as any other name.  He's just Uncle.  Jackie's niece, Jade, even brings this up in season two, when her parents call him Uncle, when she asks "Is Uncle everyone's uncle?" to which they respond "He's actually our cousin...aren't you?" It's a subtle joke that is all around humorous.  Jade plays Jackie's niece, who is voiced ironically enough by Stacie Chan (though she is not related to Jackie Chan). And while I'm on the subject of voice actors, one thing that some people will complain about the show is that the titular character, Jackie Chan is not voiced by Jackie Chan himself.  Instead, Jackie Chan appears in short live action bits at the end of the show, where he answers questions that kids who watched the show would ask him, and would serve as the show's executive producer.  Honestly, the fact that Chan doesn't voice himself sits perfectly fine with me because if you've ever seen a movie with Jackie Chan, you will notice that he's not the best speaker of English.  It made sense for someone more clear in the language to voice the main character, it made it easier for kids to understand.  And strangely enough, it actually is a pretty dang good impersonation. So while some might find it annoying, I think it was one of the better moves. Anyway, back on track, Jade is the sidekick who always follows Jackie when he's off to collect an important artifact, or investigate something potentially dangerous, despite being told to stay where she is.  She's a thrill seeker, who is very much impressed by what her Uncle does off the record as an archeologist. And that pretty much covers the bases for our main characters.  

Jackie is recruited by a secret branch of government known as Section 13 for his knowledge in archeology.  Section 13, led by a man named Captain Black, is in charge of monitoring all major criminal activities in America, primarily those run by an organization called the Dark Hand.  Black informs Jackie that the Dark Hand recently began targeting historical artifacts, and they are hoping Jackie can help them find reasons to this.  The Dark Hand is one of the coolest things of the show.  You can argue that they're the clichéd villains who are always in over their head, but the show almost seems to just make fun of that.  The organization primarily follows three elite henchmen named Finn (a man who is all about the cool), Ratso (a buff, tough, yet innocent at heart guy), and Chow (who is a bit of a wise-guy).  In season one, they also had the large, big, and lovable Tohru as one of the main enforcers of the Dark Hand, though he would pull the classic bad guy gone good card in due time.  The boss of the group is a man named Valmont, who is your typical criminal mastermind, though he can be a bit incompetent at times, yet just as threatening when he needs to be.

We learn in the first couple episodes that the Dark Hand is after twelve Talismans, which supposedly have an incredible power.  The pacing of this is pretty impressive.  For a while in the show, you'll be scratching your head wondering if the Talisman's are just "supposedly" magic, or really magic at all. In fact the pacing of magic of this show is just all around fun.  The character Uncle for example, mainly starts out in the show as comedy relief, and kinda just a silly character.  But as the show progresses, it's revealed that he was actually the student of a powerful Chi Wizard, and as silly as that sounds, he actually becomes one of the most loved characters of the show.  Here, when each Talisman reveals just how much power they have, it's almost always satisfying to see.  Each Talisman is named after an animal in the Chinese Zodiac, and each one wields a different power.  Whether it's the ability to wield telekinesis, or travel super fast, or produce an explosive combustion blast, there is nearly always something cool in the Talisman lineup, though there are a few which seem relatively simple (which is again made fun of in season two, when Finn gets the three talismans which have "all the loser powers").  And each episode of season one is dedicated to a specific talisman, in which Jackie Chan races the Dark Hand to find.  While Jackie is kept in the dark as to why the Dark Hand wants all twelve Talismans, it is revealed to us that the Dark Hand is collecting them for a demonic sorcerer trapped in a statue form named Shendu, who would become one of the show's bigger antagonists.  Giving him all twelve would free him from his prison, and they would be rewarded with a large portion of treasure.

The episode format is pretty simple, and it can be said that each episode of each season follows a certain formula.  That formula may be altered slightly with each passing season, but for the most part, Season One follows this simple formula.  Jackie finds a talisman, Uncle does research on said Talisman, the Dark Hand tries to get it, they might get it for a certain amount of time, Jackie goes to get the Talisman back, Jade tags along, they discover the magic of the Talisman, and give the Dark Hand what's coming to them.  For as repetitive as the formula is, the show does an impressive job of keeping it fresh.  You don't get bored watching these episodes.  Each episode presents different problems, different outcomes, and there are times when the Dark Hand wins. Heck, by the season finale, Shendu is of course resurrected when the Dark Hand acquires all twelve Talismans in one of the coolest ideas I've seen.  

Let's talk about the action.  It's easily the best thing about the show.  As over the top as it can get, it's beyond fun to watch.  And the show isn't afraid of pushing that over-the-top action, to the point where it makes fun of itself.  It does this in the first episode, when Jackie fights the Dark Hand thugs for the first time.  He's outnumbered three to one, his opponents have technologically advanced weaponry, and Jackie fights them off with fists and windshield wipers.  Valmont simply says "Three of my best men, armed with advanced weaponry, were defeated by an archeologist?" To which Finn replies, "Uh, did we mention he had windshield wipers?" It doesn't stop there.  It will push your limits of believability in some of the funniest ways I know.  Another prime example is when the Dark Hand blows up a bridge, when the train Jackie is on is bound right for it.  Anybody else would probably die.  Jackie?  He runs up a falling train on top of the cars, as the Dark Hand look on in absolute disbelief, before Jackie just barely makes it off the train as it falls into the gorge below, and Ratso delivers one of my favorite lines "No way he's human." Go Jackie.  But for as fun as all the action is, I gotta say I am honestly kinda disappointed in the season finale, because the final fight between Jackie and Shendu is honestly, underwhelming.  I mean yeah, it's still a fun fight in which Jackie is magically enhanced to remove the Talismans one by one from the walking breathing Shendu, who is preparing for a rampage that will destroy Asia.  But it is kinda clunky, and it keeps cutting away to the agents and Uncle who keeps delivering his famous "Magic must defeat magic" line.  I think it could have gone a little longer, but it's still a satisfying way to end the first season, and it does give us a satisfying way of showing us what we may be in for in Season Two.

The Talisman Hunts of Season One were arguably the strongest story arcs of this show, and one hell of a way to start a show that I love to this day.  Season Two was still pretty good, but there are some gripings that one day I will get to.  Season three was still enjoyable though it kinda recycled season one.  But afterwards, you could see the show starting to get a little tiresome, so I guess it's a good thing it didn't last too long. But for what this show was, it was more than impressive.  It was one of those shows that I couldn't miss after I got introduced to it.  A world with fun martial arts fighting, with almost just the right amount of supernatural in it to make it one very fun adventure.  Heck, in Season Two, there are episodes that I highly regard.  One is a two part episode, which honestly I feel should have been made into an entire season, in which Shendu possesses Jackie Chan's body to find a magic book that alters history.  It's a story that is beyond fun to watch, but deserved more than just two episodes.  Season two also revisited Season one for us by giving us a few adventures that take place in the Talisman Hunt, which are not only fun to watch, but one of them is probably one of my all-time favorite episodes of the show.  There was so much that this show had to offer, and even if it wasn't always serious in itself, it was always lighthearted fun and always left you on a high, wanting to pull off the moves that Jackie Chan could, and fight off evil demons or street thugs as he did.  And if you're one of those fans of Chan's work, there are several references to the film work that Chan is famous for.  And to all of you anime fans out there, the influence it takes from a lot of anime can be seen.

Jackie Chan Adventures Season One is a wonderful three and a half stars out of four. Sure there may be some clichés and whatnot in the show, but it doesn't detract from any enjoyability it has to offer.  The characters may not be as developed as I would have liked, but each are fun and memorable in their own ways that other characters from other shows are not.  If you didn't get a chance to see this show, I'd highly recommend it.  You can catch the first and second seasons of the show for free on Crackle, or just stream them on other cartoon sites.  Season's three through five are a bit harder to find.  And none of this is helped by the fact that the show is near impossible to find on DVD.  Why doesn't this show have it's own box set yet?   I will buy each and every season if it does find its way to home media, but until then, it does have a home on the internet, and in my heart.  I invite you to experience the thrill and adventure for yourself.

Please feel free to suggest a movie or show for me to review.  Leave a comment down below about your thoughts on the show, and as always, thanks for reading.

Final Verdict: 3.5/4

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

REVIEW: Godzilla (2014)


How do you bring the King of Monsters, arguably the most famous giant monster, back to the big screen after a ten year absence in films?  Well...I say that this is a pretty damn good way to do it.Now already I can hear a few groans from some of the readers.  This movie is probably one of the most controversial films in recent years amongst fanbases since "Man of Steel" (though I haven't seen that film).  Every time it comes into conversation, the fans are split.  Some love it, some hate it.  For me personally, this was the first time I saw Godzilla on the big screen, so you can maybe say it holds a special place in my heart.  For maybe 15 years I've loved Godzilla.  I remember my very first Godzilla film, which was "Godzilla and Mothra: Battle for Earth" (1992).  And after that, every trip to Hollywood Video turned into me just annoying the hell out of my parents with each silly Godzilla film I'd find (eventually leading to them refusing to rent them. Curses, foiled again).  Well my love of Godzilla didn't stop, and it ultimately lead to my love of even more classic giant monster movies, many of which I will one day review, if not all of them.  Many people in America however had their first Godzilla experience with the 1998 reimagining.  A film again that will be reviewed another day.  So you can imagine that after so many people felt betrayed by that film, there was a lot of nervousness for this film.

Well...I walked into that theater and had a blast.  And even as I type this, after watching it again for...who knows how many times I've seen it now, I still can't see why so many will bash this.  I've heard some nasty words associated with this film.  Now it's by no means perfect, but when I compare it with so many of the other Godzilla films out there...I gotta say this film is superior to a vast majority of them.  I'm not just saying that because of Hollywood's massive budgets, I'm saying that because...well...it's just an overall stronger film.  If you watch films like "Godzilla and Mothra: Battle For Earth", "Godzilla VS King Ghidorah", or any other Godzilla film for the most part, you will notice that though they can be cheesy fun to watch...you can't really say that much else about them.  Most characters are forgettable, the storylines are forgettable, you remember the monsters, and the fights.  Why?  Because I hate to say it, but some of the stories of the Godzilla movies are just ridiculously silly.  But more on that later.  Let's talk about why this film hit so many right notes with me.

First of all, I gotta give the effects crew the credits they deserve, Godzilla looked fantastic.  Easily becoming my favorite rendition of the monster I've ever seen.  The MUTO monsters I will say were a little bland and generic, and I've heard some people compare them with the Cloverfield monster, and I can definitely see why in some areas, but even the MUTO monsters have some likability.  I loved the deep pulsing sounds that have probably ruined my soundbar in the basement.  There's one scene in particular that when I first saw it, even caused chills to go down my spine, as one of the monsters lumbers near a bridge next to our heavily plot armored hero (more on that shortly).  And it just felt like I was right there on that bridge, holding my breath, praying I wouldn't be smashed.  Godzilla himself...where do I start?  How about that dominating roar?  I hope you don't mind me geeking out a bit here, and doing a comparison, but the 1954 original Godzilla roars are terrifying.  The second one I hear in the opening credits of that movie is a roar that would genuinely terrify me if I heard it in real life.  But after the 1954 movie, I felt the roars of Godzilla kinda decreased in quality a lot of the time.  They felt compressed.  Quieter.  Now don't get me wrong, there are some good roars in movies after the original, but a lot of the time (especially in the Showa era), it was just out of place almost.  The first time we hear Godzilla roar in this film, you can immediately detect this otherworldy presence about Godzilla.  There is power restored in that roar.  And the way the fighting is presented from his powerful tail attacks, to his mauling biting, it just a real treat that is absent in other Godzilla films.  The CGI really did bring some life to him.

Another thing that just really gets me excited about this film, is the fact at how it's presented.  There are numerous solid sequences in this film.  Now people have complained about a lack of Godzilla on screen, and how it tends to focus on the people, but honestly, it didn't bother me so much, mainly because I felt the story was sufficient enough to keep my interest.  I believe the writers did a good job at presenting a strong story revolving around these monsters, and while it doesn't directly focus on the monsters as so many would have liked, it's paced brilliantly, and made me happy enough.  The beginning of this film, is solid, possibly one of the best setups for a Godzilla film I've ever seen. The action when it's on screen, is gorgeous.  In the theater, when things got going, I was mentally cheering, from first seeing Godzilla's gorgeous Atomic Blast, to his impressive melee attacks.  The skydiving scene, to the music of "2001: A Space Odyssey" of all things, is a high point in the film.  But without a doubt, my absolute favorite scene was the introduction of Godzilla himself.  It's more a string of scenes actually, starting inside an Aircraft Carrier where they detect a massive signature approaching from the sea, while they're fighting one of the MUTO monsters.  This sets in motion the best Godzilla introduction I have ever seen, and likely ever will see.  And I gotta say it is a gutsy intro, referencing the 2011 Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami (more on that shortly).  We see a massive wall of water just overtake Honolulu, as the city goes dark amidst frenzied music, then there's silence, until four flares pop from flare guns, and illuminate this massive bulk that isn't fully on screen yet.  Then we go to the airport where the MUTO is on a rampage, being engaged by the military, it downs a helicopter amidst a chain reaction of explosions, and we see this massive foot just come down and silence everything.  The MUTO tries to give this threatening roar at it's new opponent (can you tell I am about to go full geek mode yet?), and the camera just pans up until we finally see Godzilla in his full glory, giving that awesome roar!  My God, I wanted to cheer so badly when I saw that the first time.  

Okay...let me breathe a minute.  

I've been overly positive, but as much as I hate saying it, the film does have some flaws that can get at you.  Firstly, yes, the action can be a absent at times.  There's a lot of passive destruction in this movie.  Destruction that happens off screen.  The first time they pulled this, with the first Godzilla and MUTO fight, I didn't mind so much.  I thought the move was actually kinda clever as we saw it in images through a TV news broadcast.  But they pulled this card a few more times, and it kinda started to get at me.  This film taught me that a lot of Godzilla fans aren't the most patient people.  A lot felt the lack of action, the lack of Godzilla as perhaps a second betrayal.  They just wanted that camera to pan the other way, just look over there, let us see what's going on!  And they were forced to watch a plot about disarming a bomb that many of them probably didn't care much about.  Again, I didn't mind that plot, it kept my interest, but I will not deny, that even I would have liked at least five more minutes worth of action in this movie.  

Another thing that can get to me, is just some of the clichéd elements.  Now the movie itself is clichéd to high heaven, though at some glimpses, it's not often noticeable, but there are moments in this movie that make me chuckle for the wrong reason.  Elements ranging from our plot armored hero pointing a pistol into the face of a monster 10,000 times his size, to a character simply asking "Where is Godzilla?"  Speaking of which, I can count out a few times where our hero, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, should have died more than once.  He should have drowned, been killed in a van, been blown up, the plot armor is very much apparent.  The only reason this can be annoying is because the film's most famous star (next to Ken Wantabe) is Bryan Cranston, who played a paranoid conspiracist, who is arguably the best character in this movie.  And he gets killed about 30 minutes in.  Poor Joe.  Bryan's performance was fantastic, and I felt that he would have been a far more interesting protagonist.  That's not to say that his son isn't any interesting, his performance certainly isn't terrible, but he's just an army guy, following orders this movie, and trying to get to his family.  He doesn't really give much of an emotional performance as Bryan did.  Another thing as far as casting was concerned (and I know I shouldn't nitpick this too much), is that the child actors they have in this movie...they're duller than dull.  I mean any movie takes a risk when it comes to child actors, but...was this kid really the best they could do?  I mean the first time we see the child actor, he seems fine, he's having fun with his dad, but after that scene...he tends to be a lifeless statue at times.  

My third and final issue with the movie is ironically enough, elements of the ending.  A lot of people make fun of this movie for literally calling Godzilla the hero of the movie.  It's not subtle at all.  While much of the ending is actually very well done, I had to laugh again for the wrong reasons when I saw a TV news banner read "King of the Monsters - Savior of our City?"  Yeah, half the city is completely devastated, tens of thousands probably dead, but hey the MUTOs are dead, and Godzilla is alive!  Cheer your savior on everybody!   And the people in the movie do just that.  They cheer.  The ending, though it does a lot of things right, kinda hit cheese levels there.  

But for what this movie is, I think those few issues I have are easily outweighed by what this film does right.  I've already typed up quite a bit (this is already my longest review yet), and I want to type out even more about why I love this film as I do, but I'm gonna try and be brief.  The soundtrack to this movie is great.  It fits the moods getting portrayed, and it may just be me, but I believe i hear a bit of a tribute to the original film at the end, played on the piano.  Nice touch.  The pacing of this movie, is beautifully done.  And the ending, that is done right, in which we see a battle-worn, and tired Godzilla recovering from his brutal fight, walking toward the ocean strong, head held high before giving us one final roar, before vanishing beneath the water, is beautiful.  A great way to tell us that the King is back, and still on top. 

But what I think I like most about this movie is the fact that like the 1954 original, it is giving us a bit of a message, warning us of our own destruction.  1954 of course had a message speaking out against nuclear warfare, and referenced the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  Here, we reference more of a natural phenomenon which resulted in one of the worst disasters in our recent history, the 2011 Japanese Earthquake, which resulted in a monstrous tsunami, and the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster which happened days afterward.  Both events are referenced in this movie, and I gotta say it's pretty damn eery.  It does help restore the idea that Godzilla isn't just the King of Monsters.  Godzilla is meant to represent the embodiment of fear, destruction, and death, whether it's by nature's hand or our own.  And there was a little bit of both in that here.  So with all that is said and done, what's my rating?

Godzilla is a three and a half out of four stars.  There's enough drama and story, and enough action to keep the interest.  If you can wade out the clichés, and bland character development of our plot-armored soldier boy, the ride this film gives us is well worth taking.  As a reboot to the Godzilla franchise, it did it's job, and as America's chance at redemption in the Godzilla franchise, it easily achieved that.  A great step in the right direction, and definitely the movie we needed in 1998. And again, a movie I feel that overshadows many films already in the Godzilla franchise.  Why do I say that?  Well to put it plain and simple, because I see effort in this film.  A lot of the other Godzilla films out there are rushed, have little to no story, and therefore really aren't that memorable on a whole watching them as an adult.  Heck, if I remember right, five of them made my list for "Worst Giant Monster Movies" out there.  Here, the film doesn't just go the route that your average Transformer movie goes.  It gave us a satisfactory beginning, middle, and end.  The action was paced great.  Godzilla doesn't just stand there as his opponent lashes on him with a shower of attacks.  The action is fluid, dynamic, and might raise the bar for Toho, who is now making their next Godzilla film, and I wish them all the best with that project.  I just hope that it's not rushed as so many of their films clearly are.  But until we see what they have for their loyal Godzilla fanbase, I will say that if you haven't seen this movie, or even if you have and maybe didn't enjoy it the first time around...give it another shot.  You might be glad you did.  I of course am anxious to see what the future holds in store for us in 2018, now that we got three more Toho monsters, but as a reintroduction to the world-famous monster...this film hits a home run.  And I couldn't ask for anything more.

Phew.  Sorry for the long read.  If you did read the entire thing, thanks for bearing with me!  Please feel free to suggest any films for me to view down below.  Leave a comment telling me what your thoughts are on this film, and as always, thanks for reading.

Final Verdict: 3.5/4

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Battle of the Century: Kaiju Death Battle Elimination Tournament


Welcome to the main page for the poll based death battle tournament, featuring some of the most famous and iconic skyscraper sized monsters to ever be made, along with a few all stars you might not know about. This is a tournament, created in good fun to pay tribute to some of the world's best monsters, in the style of a fun, imaginative tournament where abilities, strengths, and weaknesses will be tested.

The mighty creatures that appear down below have been called forth to test their mettle.  The battleground is anywhere.  Land, sea, air, city, mountain, plain, desert...no place is a safe haven.  Your voice will help each monster in battle.  Conflict is inevitable.  

Let them fight.

RULES
1. Monster battles will be selected at random. Each monster participating in this tournament will be assigned a number.  A random number generator will randomly select two monsters, and those two will combat. This means iconic monsters may not make it past round one. This isn't a ranking tournament. This is again, for fun. We all know that Mothra can hold her own against a number of foes but if she's facing King Ghidorah in round one, she might be out for the count.

2. I'm going to say this only once.  Size.  Doesn't. Always. Matter.  Okay, maybe that's a strict way of putting it. How about, size shouldn't be your only factor.  I say this because when I ask about who would triump between X and Y, I tend to get a lot of "X because he weighs more and is bigger".  Remember, this is based on the overall abilities, intelligence, cunning, strength, and just overall combat factor of the monster.  If I must, I will do what Toho has done before, and reduce or increase the size of monsters in certain stages.  I don't want to, but I will if I feel the need to.  That way if King Kong finds himself facing Varan...people don't just vote for Varan because King Kong in their eyes is only 30 feet tall.  If I am forced to, I will Toho size King Kong.

3. If a monster is shown to have done it before, he can likely do it here.  Now, when it comes to the abilities of the creatures, I will usually allow abilities if they've been done repeatedly before.  However there are things that will be left out.  Example...Godzilla will not be able to fly using his Atmoic Breath, or do physics defying dropkicks.  I'm sure they're fun to watch on screen, but it won't be done here.  I will provide a detailed list of abilities and attacks that are possible for each monster.

4. There can be no victor if there is no battlefield. I am forcing this. I don't care if a monster has the capability of blowing the planet up. If it has the capability of destroying the land in such a fashion, or whatnot, it will not be able to use it here.  

5. The polls will be placed in three (maybe four) groups.  The Google+ Communities of Death Battle, Godzilla, and Kaiju/Jurassic Park Fanbase. Votes will be combined to determine the winner of each round.  Results will be posted with each new round.

6. Have fun.  This poll tournament is meant for the purpose of entertainment.  This isn't a poll to try and show that certain monsters aren't the greatest, or that a certain group of monsters are supreme.  This is meant for absolute fun.I'm sure the overall winner of this tournament is going to be very predictable, but I think it will be fun to see how we get there.  I'm hoping not only to show off some very iconic monsters in this fashion, but to perhaps introduce you to some good movie monsters you didn't even know existed.  

I think that about covers it.  Your roster is down below, along with their abilities, and descriptions.  Their status of whether or not they've been eliminated will be shown next to their name.  Thanks for visiting!


ROSTER: 

Alduin
"Arrogant mortals!  Your pride will be humbled!"
Appears in: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Height: ?
Weight: ?
Abilities: Flight, Fire Breath, Frost Breath, Unrelenting Force, Brute Strength, Meteor Storm
Weaknesses: Dragonrend Shout

Bio: Alduin is the World-Eater, and a boastful creation of Akatosh.  Prophesied to be beaten by the Dragonborn of Legend, Alduin is immortal to most attack, able to transport himself between the living world and the afterlife, and feast on the souls of the dead to replenish his strength.  His armored hide is amongst the most durable of all Dragons.

Anguirus
"Murderers, original plundering murderers, who'd killed everything in their way.  These creatures uled the earth at one time, then disappeared suddenly!"
Appears in: Godzilla franchise
Height: 90 Meters
Weight: 60,000 Tons
Abilities: Durable Hide, spiked carapace, brute strength, spiked curl propulsion, burrower
Weaknesses: None Known

Bio: Anguirus is one of the most famous monsters from the Godzilla franchise.  Despite not having special abilities, he's one of the most brutal fighters of the series, never having retreated from battle, and having fought against the likes of Godzilla, King Ghidorah, and MechaGodzilla.  Despite this reputation, he's never won a fight without Godzilla's aide.

Avion
"It casts a colossal shadow across a misty lake as it soars through the sky...to reach it is no easy task..."
Backacoon

Baragon
"It's the red Godzilla."
Appears in: Godzilla Franchise
Height: 30 Meters
Weight: 10,000 Meters
Abilities: Flame Breath, burrower, durability, Rage attack can cause earthquakes and lava eruptions
Weaknesses: None Revealed

Bio: Baragon is known as the "God of the Earth".  Though he's one of the underdogs of the Godzilla franchise, his combat abilities are not to be underestimated.  He is a natural burrower, capable of causing great destruction on the land.  

Barugon
"The missile corps could not cope with Barugon's rainbow."
Appears in: Gamera Franchise
Height: 70 Meters
Weight: 2100 Tons
Abilities: Freeze Spray, Rainbow Ray, Durability
Weaknesses: Freshwater

Bio: One of Gamera's first opponents, she fought Gamera as a newly hatched monster.  Her fatal weakness to freshwater was used before she could mature into an adult threat.

Battra
"What is all this? What's happening to our planet?"
Appears in: Godzilla Franchise
Length: 239 Feet 
Weight: 30,000 Tons
Abilities: Prism Beams, energy conduction, super strength, durability, telepathy, flight speeds of Mach 3
Weaknesses: None Revealed

Bio: Battra brought great destruction to Japan, becoming one of the few monsters to have actually defeated Mothra.  When Mothra and Battra allianced, they fought off Godzilla, though Battra was killed in the process.

Bemlar

Appears in: Ultraman Fanchise
Height: 50 Meters
Weight: 25,000 Tons
Abilities: Heat Ray, durability, travel sphere (speed of Mach 1.3)
Weaknesses: None revealed

Bio: An alien monster, he was the first monster that Ultraman defeated.  His shot arms and not too lethal a bite, may make him for a more insignificant fighter, but his energy blasts and heat rays make him a lethal force.

Bewilderbeast
"Every nest has its queen, but this is the king of all dragons!"
Appears in: How to Train Your Dragon 2
Height: ?
Weight: ?
Abilities: Frozen Water blasts, mind control of other dragons, armored hide, with spikes
Weaknesses: None revealed

Bio: The Bewilderbeast is known as the Alpha Dragon.  Though there are many, each has a domain and looks over many dragons in that domain.  A meeting of another Bewilderbeast would prove deadly, with them both fighting unto the death.  The victor would gain control of the other dragons under the previous alpha's control.

Big Man Japan
"Since the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Japan has been protected against invading monsters, by a legacy of giant warriors! Today, there remains only one!"
Appears in: Big Man Japan
Height: 30 Meters
Weight: 400 Tons
Abilities: Electricity Grows him to gigantic sizes, strength
Weaknesses: None revealed

Bio: Part of a legacy of giant warriors who defended Japan against invading Kaiju, he would grow to gigantic sizes when exposed to an electric current before heading into battle.  His combat was not looked upon as welcomed by the locals, but he didn't let the mutual hatred of him stop him from his work.

Biollante
"I think now, I might have made a mistake..."
Appears in: Godzilla Franchise
Height: 120 Meters
Weight: 200,000 Tons
Abilities: Radioactive Sap, durability, regeneration, spore travel, constricting vines
Weaknesses: Heat

Bio: Mutated from a plant, shre grew into a monstrous plant, covered with impaling tendrils, and vines that can bite and spite radioactive sap.  Her regenerative abilities rival that of Godzilla.  

Bizaamo

Black Scorpion
"Ordinarily, I've got nothing against moonlight nights, but I'll be glad to get by this one."
Appears in: The Black Scorpion
Length: 12 Meters
Weight: 14 Tons
Abilities: Venomous Sting, Super Strength, durability
Weaknesses: Throat Seam

Bio: After a nest of gigantic scorpions was discovered, this monster started a rampage, killing all other scorpions. Its strong hide was impenetrable, until a weak spot was found in its throat area.

The Blob
The thing on that man's hand killed him and then it killed Paul, and whatever it is, it's getting bigger!"
Appears in: The Blob
Height: Limitless
Weight: Limitless
Abilities: rapid ingestion-based growth, amorphous movement, resistance to fire and kinetic energy
Weaknesses: Cold

Bio: The blob could be one of two things. An alien life form that crashed to Earth in a meteor, or an Earth bacteria used in an experiment in a space habitat, which crashed to earth in a satellite. Whatever it is, its astonishing ingestion based growth quickly turned a baseball sized blob, into a fully grown monster, with an endless appetite. Any organic material it comes into contact with it dissolves and is absorbed into the mass.

Bogal

Bowser (Giga)
Appears in: 
Height: 
Weight:
Abilities:
Weaknesses:

Bio:

Buraki
Appears in: D-War
Length: 200 Meters 
Weight: 7000 Tons
Abilities: Durability, flight, venomous fangs, strength, fast land speed
Weaknesses: None Revealed

Bio: Buraki resembled a massive snake that rampaged in Los Angeles. Despite his ferocity, he was defeated by Imoogi, but not before causing much damage and destruction.  His speed on land is one of the fastest of any kaiju, and like other snakes, his constriction abilities likely would cause problems for other kaiju.

Cherno Alpha
"Let's get this bastard!"
Appears in: Pacific Rim
Height: 85 Meters
Weight: 2,412 Tons
Abilities: Spiked Boots, heavily armored, tesla fists
Weaknesses: Acid

Bio: One of the toughest Jaegers in the Jaeger Program, Cherno Alpha is a Mark-I Jaeger from Russia, making it the oldest active Jaeger in the program.  But age doesn't matter, as it's fists are easily some of the hardest hitting weapons the mech warrior has, which have resulted in it sucessfully defeating six kaiju.

Cloverfield Monster
""Do you know what that thing is?"
"There ain't nobody teling me.  Whatever it is, it's winning."
Appears in: Cloverfield
Height: 107 Meters
Length: 366 Meters
Weight: 5800 Tons
Abilities: Super Strength, Durability, Amphibious, Jumper, Parasitic Skin
Weaknesses: None Revealed

Bio: The Cloverfield Monster, which has no official name, was one of the toughest monsters to have ever attacked the States.  With mysterious origins, and scary attributes, it took the leveling of Manhattan to theoretically kill the monster.  As a rather younger creature, it is covered in parasites that fall from its skin and act on their own accord.  A single bite from these parasites was lethal to human victims.

Colossal Titan
"You're kidding me...that wall is 50 Meters high!"
Appears in: Attack on Titan
Height: 60 Meters
Weight: ?
Abilities: Super Strength, Regeneration, Steam Generation
Weaknesses: Unknown

Bio: The Colossal Titan is a form taken on by Bertolt Hoover.  (I am not an expert on this universe so please excuse the ver brief bio)  Able to shift into this form near instantaniously, he is the second largest Titan on record, taking on a skinless male form.  His steam generation proves a very powerful defense mechanism, able to generate large amounts of pressurized and heated steam from his body.  

Coyote Tango
The world is coming to an end. So where would you rather die?  Here, or in a Jaeger?!"
Appears in: Pacific Rim
Height: 82 Meters
Weight: 2,312 Tons
Abilities: Energy Casters, Mortar Canons, heavy armor, powerful fists
Weaknesses: Acid

Bio: A Mark-I Jaeger, it ties with the CHerno Alpha as being one of the tallest Mark-I Jaegers in the service.  Its mortar canons pack powerful firepower as do its energy weapons, but as of now, it's only known for killing two Kaiju in it's service record.  

Crackler
Appears in: Godzilla: the Animated Series
Height: 60 Metes
Weight: Unknown
Abilities: Electricity Manipulation, Lightning Bursts, Electric Balls of Energy
Weaknesses: Unknown

Bio: The Crackler was an electromagnetic energy monster that manifested from the passive and inner anger of a man named Sydney Walker, after a mental experiment went a bit out of control.  The Crackler responded to the anger of Walker, destroying and attacking things that had caused grief to Walker.  Eventually, Walker was coaxed into letting out all his frustration, which brought about the end of the Crackler.  

Crimson Typhoon
Appears in: Pacific Rim
Height: 76 Meters
Weight: 1,722 Tons
Abilities: Plasma Caster, Buzzsaws, Durability, Jets for limited Flight
Weaknesses: Acid

Bio: Crimson Typhoon was one of the most ferocious Jaegers in the Jaeger Program, with a staggering seven kaiju killed in combat.  This is partly due to the unique three arm design this Kaiju has, and the three pilots that control it, in the infamous   Thundercloud Formation.  It is able to quickly shield itself from attacks, while quickly responding to attacks.  All of it's arms have retractable buzzsaws, each able to pierce tough kaiju hides.  It's jetpacks give it some mobility in the air to deliver powerful melee attacks.Though not as heavily armored as Cherno Alpha, it's still durable, and is a Jaeger that only the most skilled kaiju could take on.

Crustaceous Rex
Appears in: Godzilla: The Animated Series
Height: 50 Meters
Length: 70 Meters
Weight: 300 Tons
Abilities: Tentacles, Ink Blast, Durability
Weaknesses: None Revealed

Bio: The Crustaceous Rex was a large mutated creature that dwelled in the deep oceans, feeding on giant squids, before radiation drove it to the surface.  Similar to a spider, it would release a digestive enzyme on it's prey before consuming it.  Able to withstand gunfire, and blind its enemies, the Crustaceous Rex was one of the first creatures Zilla Jr. ever fought. 

Cyber-Zilla
Appears in: Godzilla: The Animated Series
Height: 60 Meters
Weight: 20,000 Tons
Abilities: Atomic Heat Ray, energy missiles, chest disk reflector, jumper, amphibious, high land speed, durability
Weaknesses: None revealed

Bio: Cyber-Zilla is the cybernetic resurrection of the very first Zilla which was killed in New York City in 1998.  Now armed with Tachyon technology, and abilities it's previous life did not have, it proved to be a formidable fighter.  It had a historic fight with it's lone surviving offspring.  Along with some of the many attributes it had in it's previous life, it's cybernetic enhancements made it a terrifying opponent, able to reflect sound based waves and weapons back to their source, fire Tachyon missiles, and even produce atomic fire of it's own, it was the ultimate weapon of the Tachyon Aliens.

Cyclometra

D.R.A.G.M.A.
Appears in: Godzilla: The Animated Series
Height: Unknown
Weight: Unknown
Abilities: Durability, strength, high reproduction rates
Weaknesses: None revealed

Bio: In an alternate future of Earth, a scientist was in the process of creating something to try and help the Earth, but his creation quickly evolved into a kaiju nightmare, bringing humanity to near extinction.  Their durable hides were near impenetrable.  And their high reproductive rates easily outnumbered and killed all monsters at Sight Omega, and even Zilla Jr. himself.  A fearsome enemy that hunted humanity, the only way to fully defeat it was a return trip to the past.  

Dagahra
Appears in: Rebirth of Mothra II
Length: 73 M
Weight: 17,000 Tons
Abilities: Barem-bio Missiles, maelstrom, Irabushan beam, energy beam, energy ring, durability, triphibian, flight speeds of Mach 10, swimming speed of 150 knots
Weaknesses: None Revealed

Bio: One of the tougher enemies that Mothra ever faced, Dagahra is a formidable fighter, land, sea, and air, though she fights strongest in the water.  Her shoulder cannons fire energy, but she can also fire energy beams from her mouth, and dorsal fins.  

Daimajin

Death Kappa

Deathrem

Destroyah
Devil Monster


Dirge

Ebirah

Eborsisk
"Destroy the beast!  Find the baby!"

El Guasano Gigante

Europa Aliens

Female M.U.T.O.

Gabara

Gaira

Gaius

Gamera

Gan Q

Gezoras

Giant Anacondas

Giant Ants
"We may be witnesses to a biblical prophecy come true. 'And there shall be destruction and darkness come upon creation, and the beast shall reign over the earth.'"
Giant Bat
"Nobody move.  If that bat senses any motion, it may think we're prey!"

Giant Claw

Giant Gila Monster

Giant Tarantula

Gigan

Gipsy Danger

Godzilla

Golza

Gomora

Gorgo

Gorosaurus

Graboids

Gudon

Guiron

Gwoemul

Gyaos

Hedorah

Igneel

Indominus Rex

Iron Giant

Irys

Jet Jaguar

Jiger

Kamacuras

Kamoebas

King Caesar

King Cobra

King Ghidorah

King Kong

Kiryu

Knifehead

Kojira

Kraken

Kumasogami

Kumonga

Kuromori

Leatherback

Legion

M.O.G.U.E.R.A.

Magnia

Male M.U.T.O.

Malus

Manda

Mechani-Kong

Megalon

Megaguirus

Megashark

Megazord

Mephilas

Minilla

Mothra

Mr. Stay Puft

Mutavore

Mushra

Nanotech Creature

Nessie

Onibaba

Optimus Prime

Orachi

Orga

Otachi

Prometheon

Queen Bee

Quetzalcoatl the Winged Serpent

Raiju

Rancor

Red Death

Red King

Reptilicus

Rhedosaurus

Robo-Yeti

Rodan

Scunner

Slattern

Smaug

SpaceGodzilla

Spyler

Striker Eureka

Super Justice

Titanosaurus

Toothless

Toto

Trespasser

Tripods

Tyrannosaurus Rex

Ultraman

Ultraman Belial

Utsuno Ikusagami

Varan

Vastatosaurus Rex

Velociraptor Pack

Viras
Voltron

Wargilgar

Widow Spider 

XXXG-01W Wing Gundam

Zandolla

Zedus

Zetton

Zigra

Zilla

Zilla Jr.

Zone Fighter