THROWBACK REVIEW: Godzilla VS Biollante (1989)

Godzilla VS Biollante is one of the few Godzilla films of this or any era that puts any real effort into the story behind the monstrous showdown the title advertises, even if the story itself falls short of other stories of the series.  That's not to say that no other Godzilla films are entertaining or fun to watch, that's me saying this is one of the few films out there that puts any effort into the actual story behind the origin, and background of Godzilla's nemesis in this film.  And that is a real good thing.  Despite the Hensei era being amongst my favorite eras, this is one of only two films that actually does this, the other being Godzilla VS Destoroyah, but it needs to be said that the story here is very hit or miss. I will say that most of the Hensei films are a lot of fun, and superior to other Godzilla films, especially those made during the Showa era, and even a few during the Millenium, but still, a lot of them are guilty of having very little reason to actually exist, other than pit one iconic monster against another. Again, I don't want anyone to mistake this for hating any of these films, because truth be told...I only really dislike one of the Hensei films. But we'll get to that film when we get to it.  Onto Biollante!

Despite my liking of this movie, this is the first film of the era to really showcase the weak story trait of most Godzilla films. We get an opening recap of the previous movie of Godzilla rampaging in Tokyo, before we get a monotone, and uninteresting recap of it in the style of an American news broadcast, before we see three characters which I guess are American soldiers? Stealing Godzilla skin samples, gunning down Japanese military (no doubt putting tons of offscreen diplomatic tensions between the two nations) before they're just gunned down by...token Japanese badass gunner, who's only literal lines in this movie revolve around "Damn...it's Godzilla!". I just described the first few minutes of this movie. Who are these English Speaking soldiers? What were they gonna do with the skin samples? Who cares? Certainly not the movie. Actually while I'm on the subject, the depiction of America in this film...and of other films in this era for that matter is absolutely laughable. This can be attributed to some economical tension between the two nations at the time I guess. There's a scene in the beginning of the film, in which two American...spies? Thieves? I have no idea... But these two obviously American characters (one of which looks like a Japanese actor), are wearing two baseball hats with blatant American flag designs, in which they're focused on nothing but the looks of a woman. I find this kind of political message absolutely laughable at how bad it is.  This is the equivalent of me creating a political character for a movie, and blatantly labeling them with a parody name tag of who they are so obviously supposed to represent, while having them behave like a five year old. Did the director of this film REALLY think that was how Americans dressed? They're from America. They must wear American flag attire! And be easily distracted by a female character. Why are we depicting America like this?  Because America sucks. We don't like the current economical situation we have with them. And I guess America bombed Japan.  Take that America! That'll teach you...I guess? Seriously, the grudge that Japan had against America at this time is so obvious in these films, that it's kinda...mind-numbingly annoying. It seems that it's only there to serve as a blatant "We don't like America" message for ten year olds. It contributes nothing to the story. At all! The two thieves we're introduced to are killed, and though we get a brief glimpse into who they are and whatnot, they literally serve no other purpose than to just be the forced Political message for the movie.  A message that is nowhere near as strong as the film's predecessor mind you.

I will give credit to this movie, it's one of the few out there that actually attempts to have characters that are in any way memorable or likable and easy to connect with. Particularly when it comes to Dr. Shiragami. He has very believable motivations and goals in this film, even if they are a bit far fetched. The whole "talking plants" thing in order to preserve the spirit of his deceased daughter was a bit silly. Especially since it was kinda just thrown out the window when a psychic character out of the blue just pretty much said, "There's no sign of your daughter anymore, it's just a monster like Godzilla!" Despite the weaker story there, he remains one of the more connectable characters of the film. And while there are other likable traits by other characters, he is easily the strongest. And even some of the more minor characters are pretty fun.  I had a good laugh at a soldier who gave a one liner, "Medicine is ways best when taken orally.", before firing a bazooka of bacteria into Godzilla's mouth, before getting killed. Moments like that are in this movie. Which is a pity because like other Godzilla films, there are a LOT of characters in this movie that straight up suck. Like token Japanese badass gunner who has two lines in this entire movie. You can say "Oh but he wasn't Japanese, he worked for that foreign nation in this film." I don't care.  It's obviously a Japanese actor. He's wearing shades more than to look like a token badass. His accent is noticeable. He has zero personality in this movie and is just there to serve as a plot device to axe off characters you actually kinda like.  Like Dr. Shiragami. The "bad guys" of this film have very little motivation in this entire film.  In fact, I'm still unsure who the bad guys even are.  Is it the Americans?  Is it some unnamed Middle Eastern country? I mean it's a possibility, they were talking about plant genetics to help plant growth in the global deserts.Yet they serve little purpose other than to just be there, and be evil. I laughed when they heard that they'd lost a valuable anti-nuclear eating Bacteria organism, and their first resort was to just...axe Dr. Shiragami. Our plan failed.  Guess there's nothing to do but see if we can steal back the organism, or get some Godzilla Skin samples of our own...nah, let's just kill the guy who made the discovery. 

I gotta ask this...what is with the almost impossible to understand English language in this movie? I'm not trying to sound flat-out racist here, but I gotta bring up the previous Godzilla film I watched, in which some characters spoke English, yet were not easily understandable.  The DVD...which is an unofficial copy mind you, gave subtitles for what they spoke. And even without them, I likely could have understood better than what I heard here.  Here? On an actual official release, some characters speak English, with a HEAVY accent.  Yet there's no subtitle options for them. I gotta go from the hip on what I think I hear.  Another note on the DVD subtitles, I can tell that a few of the translations are either way too literal, or just straight up wrong. I had a good laugh at the translation "We are looking for a stuff." Nice one there guys.

Honestly, I know I'm being a little harsh at the moment, but I don't hate this film.  It's actually a very satisfying film. I thought the idea of a bacteria that could eat away Nuclear Material was very very fun. A clever idea indeed, even if executed a little sloppy. It's up there among other fun ways to stop Godzilla such as the infamous Oxygen Destroyer of the original film. I also like how this is one of the first films in this era to really cling to the science-fiction aspect of this franchise in more ways than one.  Even if we got terrible characters, some characters of this film are psychic, and gifted with limited communication with Godzilla and Biollante. It kinda serves as a plot device, but a likable one.  I also love the military technology, which undoubtedly throws any Post WWII military restrictions right out the window with the Super-X2, and these tanks that fire lasers and whatnot. It leads to some of the funnest concepts of the era, and undoubtedly some of the coolest action.

Speaking of which, the action in this movie is absolutely GLORIOUS. The monster fights between Godzilla and Biollante are easily some of the most graphic and brutal fights of the entire franchise. We see Biollante bleeding sap all over the place, we see Godzilla's hand and skin get pierced by the vines, we see Biollante spraying acid all over Godzilla's face, we see Godzilla burning Biollante alive with his radioactive heat. It's all glorious.  But despite this...I can't help but feel it to be very underwhelming. Mainly because of how glorious it is. Biollante is a plant. A plant is fighting a giant radioactive death breathing dinosaur. Who do you think is gonna win?  Despite the action being fun to watch, there's really not that big a payoff in the whole combat. Especially when you start to realize that all Godzilla is doing is standing there, unleashing radioactive death. Yeah they grapple and whatnot after on, but a lot of the time, it's very stiff and that's when you get feelings of it being underwhelming. And since the conclusion of this fight really just confuses me more than anything...I really can't say  it's flawless. Biollante just kinda dies, and Godzilla just kinda wanders into the water after the bacteria affects him...only to rise again completely fine. I don't buy their water temperature theory either. 

All in all, it's a nice way to followup the wonderful 1984 return of Godzilla, but I can't help but feel this film was rushed in more ways than one, and therefore, suffers. Despite being a roller coaster of good and bad, there's not too much oomf in this film to make me really consider it one of the best.  It's certainly not bad, it's good, I like it, but from what I remember, most of the other Hensei films had a stronger approach. But we'll see as we get to those.  I'm giving Godzilla VS Biollante a two and a half star rating out of four. It's a lot of fun, it'll make you laugh, whether it's actually funny, or laughably bad in areas. It's got some of the coolest action of the franchise, even if a bit underwhelming, and honestly, one of the coolest monsters the franchise ever created.  I think Biollante is terrifying! Yeah, it has its weaknesses, but that alligator plant beak and those vines make for one very cool monster. I give this film a thumbs up, despite the flaws it can have.

Please feel free to request any film's you'd like me to look at.  Leave a comment down below expressing your own thoughts and opinions of the film, and as always, thanks for reading.

See you next week when we review...(sigh)...Godzilla VS King Ghidorah.

Final Verdict: 2.5/4

THROWBACK REVIEW: Godzilla (The Return of Godzilla) (1984)

Godzilla, or The Return of Godzilla is a dated, but still very strong example of Godzilla done right. It began a new Era of Godzilla films that would be known as the Hensei films, but in this, it would also start a long history of continuity confusion that lasts to this day. What I mean by that is, that this film literally wiped the slate clean of its history, aside from one film. The original 1954 Gojira. In this, Godzilla (1984)...whatever you wanna call it, acts as a direct sequel to the original iconic film, and the start of an era that includes some of my absolute favorite Godzilla films to date. It takes a step away from what the Showa era did, and makes Godzilla intimidating, and begins a trend of darker films for the Godzilla franchise, while holding on to a few light-hearted tropes that make the franchise fun to watch.  But I will say of all the Hensei films we got in the 80's and 90's, none of them really match the depth and the overall mood of this particular film, which marked the 30th anniversary of the Big G.

I'm sure many of you are probably getting sick of my comparisons to Toho's newest Godzilla film in Godzilla Resurgence, or Shin Gojira, but if you want a Godzilla film, with political undertones, done right, then this is about as good as it gets for the Godzilla franchise, and I mean that in the best way possible. It does everything, from highlighting threats of Nuclear War, to referencing the Warsaw Pact. While I will still say that politics is the last reason I will watch any Godzilla movie, the parallels that Toho did to mirror the nuclear tensions of the Cold War era during this particular period were fantastic. One of the things I criticized the newest film over was the particular depiction of America who seemed to react rather fast to Godzilla by saying to just nuke 'im. Maybe being American, I'm a bit biased when I say, I doubt we'd straight up rush to that conclusion, but in this movie, they bring that same conclusion to the table. And so does Soviet Russia. At first I scratched my head at this, but looking deeper into it, when both nations were in tense relations and when full scale nuclear war looked as if it could break out at any moment, I gotta say that this is perhaps ironically, kinda accurate. I will say the resolution of "If Godzilla were attacking Moscow or Washington D.C. Right now, would you be so fast to use nuclear weapons?" Solution was maybe just a bit...silly? Like honestly, you'd think a ten year old could come up with such common sense. But regardless of it, it's still wonderfully executed, and it gets even more interesting when the Soviets accidentally launch a nuclear missile in this film. That actually marks a first! We've never seen nuclear weapons used prior to this, and if memory serves right, we'd never seen them used again until Godzilla (2014). 

Godzilla as a monster I gotta say is a bit of a mixed bag. While he looks, and sounds intimidating (that animalistic roar is absolutely wonderful to hear and terrifying at the same time), there are a few things that make him stand out just a bit in some wrong ways. One thing that immediately comes to mind is the eyes. They're huge. While not the worst I've seen from Godzilla, the eyes seem just a tab bit too large for this particular monster if you were to ask me. And while Godzilla isn't exactly the largest here as he is in later films, it should be said that his size doesn't factor much to intimidation in these films.  He can still take a beating, and demolish anything in his way.  And that's what matters when it comes to the big guy. I can overlook a few flaws in design which honestly, was probably just a product of the times. When his foot comes crushing through the streets, nearly crushing terrified civilians, it can be a lot of fun to see.

One thing I will say is that the effects of the film are surprisingly well done.  That's not to say they are perfect, I counted more than one effect that stood out. But a lot of the time, the line between fantasy and reality was most certainly blurred. One of my favorite scenes in this film, and in all the franchise takes place when Godzilla first attacks Tokyo in this film. Not only is the military attack fun to watch, but when Godzilla attacks, unleashing that trademark atmoic breath, it is a sight to behold, and a gruesome one at that. We get full on views of soldiers being burned alive, incinerated, and of course we see all of man's deadliest machinery fall to the Destroyer of Worlds. This film also held to the concept of futuristic sci-fi in a way I always loved with special tanks that shoot beams, and a heavy warship that if I remember right was exclusive to this film, the ship Super-X, which actually succeeds in bringing down the big guy. It's not often mankind can harm the big guy like that. And while it's not exactly a matter of effects here, I gotta say that the musical score to this film isn't half bad. Godzilla scores aren't usually something I'm impressed by, as many of them tend to lean too much on that iconic, yet repetitive theme that can get a little old. This film however did a good job of composing new music that is actually pretty decent. 

While characters have never been a strongpoint in the Godzilla franchise, this movie does a decent job of telling its story around its set group of characters.  While many of the character arcs are kinda forgettable, like the whole controversy over that one guy's journalism (I can't remember his name off the top of my head), most of the story arcs they bring to the table are not only satisfactory, but contribute something new to the franchise. One thing I love so much about this film, was that for a film, meant to reintroduce Godzilla as this terrifying monster, and not so much a hero, it goes beyond simply retelling the original 1954 film. There's added problems, new obstacles, and newer elements of story and that is a very good thing because there were times this film could practically mirror its 1954 predecessor. And I will admit that this film had a few moments that legitly had me chuckling.  Such as one or two scenes involving this homeless guy who gets some screentime during the Godzilla attack, and both times, he just kinda blatantly curses and insults Godzilla. It's silly, adds nothing to the story, and it made me laugh.

I'm giving Godzilla...or The Return of Godzilla, whatever you wanna call it, a nice solid three and a half star rating out of four. While there are indeed times that this movie can drag itself out, the story is told well to keep your attention, and again, there are some things here that are in no other Godzilla film that just make this one stand out as one of the best for me.  Hell, I ranked it amongst the top 25 absolute greatest giant monster films out there if any of you remember that list. And I stand by that stance. It's not the model Godzilla film, but it's still one of the many I will recommend, and it pains me to say that I don't officially own it. If Toho would just release it officially over here, I could change that, but my copy will do for now. For those of you who are with me in the states, there is an American edit of this film that you might be able to find, but I believe I can safely say that the original Japanese cut is far superior, though it is cool to see Steve Martin (the reporter from the American 1956 edit of Gojira) back for a small cameo. If you have the resources to get ahold of this film, I'd recommend giving it a look see. It's one of the best starts of any Godzilla era out there, and I'm honestly tempted to go through that era now.  Maybe I should.

Please feel free to suggest any films you'd like me to have a look at down below.  Leave a comment expressing your own thoughts and opinions on the film itself, and as always, thanks for reading.

Final Verdict: 3.5/4

THROWBACK REVIEW: Godzilla (1998)

Autumn movies this year kinda suck. I've been to three so far and I've not been impressed. I'm hoping some other movies I've come across change my mind but this weekend, I found myself in need of something fun. So I watched Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Both films I absolutely love. Through this little experience, I came into contact with a few people on G+ who disagreed with my review of Godzilla Resurgence. Unfortunetaly...dealing with the Godzilla fandom isn't exactly a favorite thing to do on my list (and neither is dealing with the fandom of Star Trek, which in some ways can be worse), but I held plenty of discussions and debates about what they liked about this film and whatnot and all I can say is...I'm no expert of Japanese politics currently. Hell, I don't give a damn about politics here. I'm actually kinda sick about politics. And I think people know that about me because they just love throwing it in my face about how the political satire of Shin Gojira is something my "American mindset" that must only love explosions like I'm some mindless Michael Bay zombie must not comprehend. (Facepalm) If I can enjoy political movies like Godzilla (1984), or other political movies for that matter (Star Trek VI), understand them, and enjoy them...then I'll just laugh at your "defense" of Shin Gojira. What the hell does this have to do with the movie I'm gonna be talking about? Well if all I care about are explosions and nonstop action, then this movie must be a fucking Godsend. Right? RIGHT???

I wanted to tackle this movie on some other special occasion, but with all that's going on, I guess now is as good a time as any to show the nonbelievers that I might actually have competent reasons for disliking Shin Godzilla. And to back this up...I'm gonna throw arguments that have been used against me into this analysis of America's first ever attempt at Godzilla filmmaking. I'm actually surprised to say, but happy to say that there aren't too many people on my case about my opinion of Shin Gojira. But they are persistent. Which is kinda what led to this. And by the way, I'm going on the record to say that when I put this movie on today, I watched it with my friend, who's an exchange student from Japan. I don't know if he's a huge Godzilla fan but we talked briefly about the new film (which he hasn't seen), before moving on to Roland Emmerich.

This is the "Godzilla" movie that most fans will call the absolute worst of the worst. A film so bad, that Toho went out of their way to claim that the monster in this movie in no way was related, or represented the King of Monsters. And if that wasn't enough, they bought the rights to the film, just to kill the monster in Final Wars. For many Americans, this was actually the film to introduce them to Godzilla. However for me personally, I didn't see this movie until about halfway through high school. 2006-2007. And I'd already established myself as a fan of the big guy. I still remember my first movie (Godzilla VS Mothra: Battle for Earth), and remember the endless trips to Hollywood Video just to rent some Godzilla dub that I hadn't seen yet. It drove my parents insane. I didn't care. The first time I saw this film, I was much like the fanbase. I kinda hated it. But as years passed, it gained my attention, and now I see it as rather...harmless honestly. Not good, but the worst? I wouldn't call it that.

Despite what others would have you believe, this film doesn't just crash and burn at every angle. In fact, I'll go on a limb and say there is a lot of very well done aspects in this movie. The monster design. I loved it! If not for a point that we'll get to soon enough, this monster would actually be one of the coolest things on screen. It needs to be said that the dated CGI definitely shows at times. It can stand out like a sore thumb, but Roland has been there, done that, got the shirt before, and his visuals can still be very wonderful to look at. But that one point that I mentioned up above comes into play here. For a monster called "Godzilla"...there's surprisingly very little resemblance to Godzilla. But ironically enough, here's where my first argument for Shin Gojira comes into play. I've been told that my problems of the monster itself in that movie are irrelevant because it's a new incarnation, and not the same. So "New Godzilla" can be different. Well if that's the case then this Godzilla should have been flying high. Sure he can be wounded by the military, lack his trademark atomic breath, look more animal-like, and eat fish. This is a new Godzilla! The possibilities are limitless! This is point number one. If Japan can go through, not one, not two...but FOUR different eras and even more incarnations of Godzilla, why didn't this reimagining get a little less trash from the fanbase? It was America's first attempt. Their first incarnation. Surely no wrongs could be done! Hell, the opening credits strictly state that the character is "based on" the Toho monster of the same name. Based on. So we obviously did nothing wrong with this monster....Do you see the logic of this argument? I sure don't. I think I've made my point.

The characters of this movie can be ridiculously clichéd, if not downright annoying. One thing Godzilla movies never seem to nail are characters. They're so bad at this, that I actually made myself make a list of the Top 25 Best Human Characters in Monster Movies. And guess what...a few characters from this movie actually made the list believe it or not, because there are a few in this movie that are actually pretty fun. I like Colonel Hicks, the French Agent Philippe. Even Nick Tatopoulos got a mention...but I had to specify that it was the incarnation from the animated series, because the moment you see fucking Matthew Broderick on the screen, you wanna knock his block off. Why did they hire him off all people? The token Roger Hebert, and Gene Siskel characters are more than likely intentionally annoying, and Audrey...oh my God Audrey and the rest of the news channel characters in this movie just suck. They. Suck. I honestly believe their role in this movie was meant for a completely different story at times, as their interactions with other characters kinda just seem to drop the fact that there's a 100 foot tall radioactive lizard tromping all over New York City.

But when they're not on screen, the movie can be a fun watch. The action of this movie is very well done. Even if you're looking at scenes that borrowed heavily from other films from Alien to Jurassic Park, I find myself having a lot of fun watching the monster run through the streets of New York, outsmarting helicopters, and causing all sorts of havoc. I enjoy watching our protagonists trying not to get eaten alive by the hundreds of infant monsters in the ruined Madison Square Garden. But this action isn't backed by all that impressive of a story. While I will say that their reimagining of the origins of "Godzilla" can be very fun, bringing up comparisons to things like Chernobyl and whatnot, once that initial first wonder is done, very little can hold this story up. The middle acts can drag and be rather uninteresting. Again, the character interaction between Nick and Audrey can be very...off putting. It doesn't belong in this movie. In fact...I hate any scene that features only Audrey. She just complains about how she isn't treated fairly by her boss, or cries when she messes up Nick's reputation with the army. The political side of Herbert and Siskel is laughable at how pointless it is. You could literally cut it from the film and nothing would be different. I think Roland just wanted to give the finger to two of the best film critics out there who weren't impressed by his films...but they weren't even killed in the movie. Good job there Roland. And with little interesting story, the film quickly becomes its own excuse to blow up every NYC landmark it can. The Chrysler Building, Metlife building, Madison Square Garden, the Brooklyn Bridge...I'm surprised half the buildings remained standing in this film. This brings up point number two that I've been getting...where people say I didn't like Shin Gojira because it wasn't just explosions and nonstop action. Well compare that to this movie which kinda just...is that at times, and you find that I'm still not too impressed. The only thing I've really complimented this film on is the decently original beginning parts of the story. Before it just becomes a big cliché. The only reason I liked that is because it was competent enough and told well enough to keep my attention. Shin Gojira focused roughly 75% of its story telling to people sitting around tables. Tell me how that is good story telling for a two hour movie. Just try.

With as many problems as there are in this movie...I'm surprised I don't really bash it too much. Well there's a reason. I think the movie can be an entertaining watch from time to time. Take away the obvious problems, overlook atrocious characters, and focus on the actual decent elements in this story that pop up from time to time, then throw in a pretty decent musical score by David Arnold, and you actually have a decent monster movie. But that's the key word there. MONSTER movie. That's not what this movie was supposed to be. The title is Godzilla. When you put that as your title, there will be expectations, and nearly all of those expectations were absent in this film. Which is why I'll be honest and say I'm surprised so many seem to like Shin Gojira. It can tackle all the problems this movie tackled 18 years earlier. Differences in origins, monster design, hell...the military actually makes Godzilla bleed a lot in the new film. And that's just on the monster alone. I won't even get into how forgettable those characters are. The characters of this movie may be bad, but at least they're memorably bad enough to make an impression.

Godzilla is a movie I find very hard to rate. It's not good. But it's far from the worst. I doubt I'll ever really see anything worse than Godzilla's Revenge in this franchise. But for what this movie was...it wasn't a bad monster film. In fact, it can be a lot of fun...as a monster movie. If it had any other title, I'd be tempted to rate it a strong three stars out of four. But the title holds it back. When you call your movie Godzilla, there will be expectations. Expectations this movie failed to meet. And so while not the worst, I cannot rate it higher than a two out of four stars. It's...average. Maybe even slightly below it. But not nearly enough to annoy me in ways other Godzilla films have. I actually kinda commend this film in a lot of ways. It gave us a good monster  even if it is the butt of everyone's jokes in the Godzilla fandom. But plain and simple, this movie isn't worthy of the title it bears and doesn't earn it. It's a damn shame because if this were to be renamed...Beast from 10,000 Fathoms...it would have faired so much better. It follows that movie much more faithfully than Godzilla. But it doesn't have that title...and therefore suffers.

Well there you go...I hope I've made my criticisms of Shin Gojira a bit clearer to those who disagree. Though I know deep down a lot of you probably won't get it still. Toho isn't perfection to me and never will be. They'll make mistakes as any other movie company will. I certainly hope their future Godzilla projects will be better, but if you'll remember right...I said that at times, this movie had more going for it than Shin Gojira. I know, how dare I. I'm sure that angered a lot of the fanboys but what can you do? They keep the fandoms alive, and they aren't going anywhere. I can admire the passion many of you have for Godzilla, and tip my hat to you...I just hope I can make my stance on things clearer in the future and whatnot.

Please feel free to suggest any movies you'd like for me to review. Leave a comment down below explaining what you thought of this movie, and as always...thanks for reading.

Final Verdict: 2/4

Star Trek: Music of the Frontier

While we all have our differences in this franchise. Some of you might think me craft for liking things like Voyager, Generations, or the reboot films. We all have our differences in this franchise, but one thing I think we can all agree on in this particular franchise, is that the music is absolutely incredible. Whether you're sporting the old school original series, or lost in the Delta Quadrant with Voyager, the Maddux of this franchise has almost never disappointed me. And I won't lie, I kinda pride myself in knowing when I hear a good soundtrack. A few exceptions withstanding (said as I eyeball that bad pop rock theme to Enterprise), this music has always been on target from the very start. It's some of the most iconic music of science fiction. But I'm gonna focus particularly on the music scores of the films. Unlike a TV series, a film is much more dependent on a good film score. Nothing against the Star Trek music of the series, but in the shows, it can take a back seat to the actual story a lot of the time. That's not to say that it can't be great, the flute theme from Inner Light remains one of my favorite things in this franchise's music, but unlike the films, it can suffer one it two bad episodes with little fear. A movie doesn't get that luxury if you ask me. But something strange that I see is that even in this franchise's WORST movies, the musical score can be absolutely phenomenal. It can really help carry the film when everything else is failing to do so. And the scores of these films can vary so incredibly well. So I'm looking at all 13 movies again, and I'm ranking them by how memorable their soundtracks are.

Please note, that story, characters, and other things are not the focus here. This is focused entirely on music. It also needs to be said, that I in no way consist any of these soundtracks, bad. Each are incredibly memorable in their own ways. So don't think of this so much as a worst to best, as it is a good to greatest. So sit back, and enjoy how I rank the 13 Best Musical Scores of the Star Trek films. Click the links for standout tangs from each score.

13. Star Trek: The Voyage Home (Leonard Roseman)
https://youtu.be/mMbLDQVrd5A (Main Title)
https://youtu.be/PjDXz4bWqTY (Crash-Whale Fugue)
https://youtu.be/siD30IEz6LU (Hospital Chase)

Whenever I hear the main title of this film, my pulse begins racing.  It's one of the most triumphant pieces I know that on its own, carries the entire soundtrack. It's not often I'll give so much credit to one piece of music.  The film's soundtrack unfortunately doesn't compare as much to this one piece alone, at times taking a backseat to the hilarious story, at times getting a bit goofy for a Trek soundtrack, which is why I'll say it's probably among the weaker scores of the franchise, but it's still a good score altogether. 

12. Star Trek: Nemesis (Jerry Goldsmith)
https://youtu.be/wwI-88jfEw0 (The Knife)
https://youtu.be/wMOLH7gke5w (The Scorpion)
https://youtu.be/1b1AnNuCtrY (A New Friend)

Nemesis has a very intense score, which is kinda unique for most Star Trek scores, aside from one we'll get to shortly. But it certainly fits this movie which features one of my favorite space battles of the entire franchise. It can be intimidating, tense, and at times a real treat to listen to, even if there are times it doesn't take a break from the tension. But whether it's calm or tense, it stands out more than simple background music.  The music gives Shinzon an intimidating presence on screen in ways that aren't shown with other villains.  Not even Khan. 

11. Star Trek Into Darkness (Michael Giacchino)
https://youtu.be/mu6xJsHKw58 (London Calling)
https://youtu.be/DwlFeVttLMg (The Kronos Wartet)
https://youtu.be/Y2xalm5xvDk (Brigadoom)

You can say what you want about the reboots as far as story or setting. But if you even think of saying that their music is bad around me, you will get a fucking lecture about music appreciation, because I thoroughly believe that the scores to EACH reboot film are absolutely incredible. Again, remember that this list isn't so much a worst to best list.  I love each and every one of these scores. And this is that other really intense score. If you'll remember, of the reboots, this is the one I like the least as the action at times doesn't fit, but at least the music is a treat to listen to. From the softer piano melodies, top the intense music played during the chase scene with the Klingons, this score is a testament to the intimidation that is throughout this film. It may be a weaker film of Star Trek, but the soundtrack isn't one I'd call weak.

10. Star Trek: Insurrection (Jerry Goldsmith)
https://youtu.be/poOdzrYzLpQ (Ba'ku Village - Visual Contact)
https://youtu.be/xKSOUBcsxSQ (Underwater Search - The Hollowship)
https://youtu.be/5vgejKmGJhQ (The Riker Maneuver)

Despite my disliking of Insurrection, it does have a wonderful score. I love the calmer theme of this score, which perfectly portrays "Paradise". The score provides an excellent atmosphere at times, which brings out the film's absolutely gorgeous scenery, from space to the landscape. Even when the action comes into play, the music can keep up, and it does make for one of the film's stronger suites thankfully. Good thing too because that's all I can really say about the movie itself. 

9. Star Trek: The Final Frontier (Jerry Goldsmith)
https://youtu.be/EBWKRp-4zEM (The Mountain)
https://youtu.be/0WaOYxxTGJg (A Busy Man)
https://youtu.be/GZDnzlCNYIU (Free Minds)

Even the film which most will call the worst of Star Trek has a good score. Jerry Goldsmith brings back more of the classic themes you're so used to, some bringing in a rather majestic atmosphere which can fit the mood perfectly. From their entrance into the Center of the Galaxy, to them landing on the planet, and finding..."God", the music doesn't fail this film in ways that everything else kinda...well, does. Credit where credit is due.

8. Star Trek: The Search for Spock (James Horner)
https://youtu.be/dMy1zZ6VGMk (Prologue and Main Title) 
https://youtu.be/aEmAi8Yp-A0 (Stealing the Enterprise)
https://youtu.be/_D9SteuGn3I (The Katra Ritual)

Honestly, as good as the score is, this score doesn't do too much to make itself unique. It's not bad persay, but nothing really stands out at me when I watch it. It doesn't have as memorable a theme as Wrath of Khan, or as triumphant a feel as Voyage Home. To me, the score is just kinda...there. But that's nothing against it. It just didn't make that big an impact on me personally. Despite some wonderful melodies, I personally feel that at times, it leaned a little too much on its predecessor's score, and didn't make too much out of itself. That might be because James Horner once again was behind this score. But none the less, it does have some great music.  A particular favorite comes during the stealing of the Enterprise from Starfleet.

7. Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country (Cliff Eidelman)
https://youtu.be/GT-wunjnEXA (Overture)
https://youtu.be/0YN5Gy1URlk (The Battle for Peace)
https://youtu.be/g9jpAV3G5rY (Sign Off)

The final film of the original crew is my favorite film of the franchise, though its soundtrack isn't exactly its strongsuit.  The doesn't mean it's not a good soundtrack at all, because it has a lot of very strong moments, particularly at the very end.  The sign off track can bring a tear to my eye, and it's for more reasons than simply watching all the signatures of the original bridge crew cast display themselves on the screen.  It's just the perfect sendoff for this crew, and the perfect music to have played for it. 

6. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Jerry Goldsmith)
https://youtu.be/Nt9dOIdGIeM (Ilia's Theme)
https://youtu.be/ARcgqTx3NOg (The Enterprise)
https://youtu.be/kPQjYQZ7wW0 (V'Ger Flyover)

How ironic is it that the film I will call the absolute worst of Star Trek, has some of the most beautiful, and most iconic music in the entire franchise? Let me just put it this way, if the entire film were meant to be just a big mega suite of Star Trek music, set to nothing but the opening sequence of stars at the beginning of the movie, I'd totally put it on for background music. Jerry Goldsmith was probably one of the best things that happened to Star Trek music. He'd compose countless scores, and many themes. He composed Voyager, and The Next Generation took its theme straight from this film. The film may be boring as hell, but this music is far from that.

5. Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (James Horner)
https://youtu.be/TDW5-VczFHo (Main Title)
https://youtu.be/eoit0OdKt-I (Surprise Attack)
https://youtu.be/xh0dEIb8enY (Buried Alive)

Horner gets a lot of praise for this soundtrack for good reason. From a memorable theme, to intense battle music, to unsettling tension, or somber sadness.  It's a real testament to the late Horner's career, which if you ask me, stands unmatched in his entire career. I may not give Wrath of Khan the most credit when it comes to it as a film on a whole. I still think that the middle of the film seems kinda nonexistent, but you'll never hear me declare this soundtrack to be uninteresting. It's amongst the best for a reason.

4. Star Trek: Generations (Dennis McCarthy)
https://youtu.be/FBdmVGGaJEE (Generations Overture)
https://youtu.be/uN8H3RhqaUk (Out of Control/The Crash)
https://youtu.be/75Y6-6_kr24 (The Nexus/A Christmas Hug)

Say what you want about Generations, it has one of the best soundtracks of the franchise.  The overture alone could go as a theme for any future series to come out of this franchise. And I do have to say that the atmosphere of the Nexus, and battle music of this film can be outright gorgeous. I love this score so much, that I often listen to it when writing up Star Trek projects of my own.  From start to finish, it's got a lot of oomf. Dennis McCarthy doesn't get enough credit for his musical contributions to Star Trek, well this is a great monument to that if you ask me.

3. Star Trek (Michael Giacchino)
https://youtu.be/UkijbBY1QUA (Enterprising Young Men)
https://youtu.be/zpnaRE1vEb8 (Nero Death Experience)
https://youtu.be/4WZblBDaorU (End Credits)

From the time we see the shuttles fleeing the destruction of the USS Kelvin at the beginning of this film, and we hear the soft beginning of an incoming theme growing louder and louder, to the time we see the films title amidst a barrage of timpani (being a former percussionist, and having played timpani myself, I have a soft spot for them), I knew I was listening to one of the best scores of the franchise, if not one of the best scores I've ever heard, period. It's the perfect score to introduce this darker timeline of the franchise, in more ways than one.  If it's not that awesome theme, you got some really cool Vulcan themed music that can get to you each and every time. And of course, the rendition of the classic original theme is absolutely priceless.

2. Star Trek: First Contact (Jerry & Joel Goldsmith)
https://youtu.be/K0BC4YoBKa4 (Red Alert)
https://youtu.be/f7Dy5F6hLfM (The Dish)
https://youtu.be/X9rtsG21ncg (First Contact)

For the longest time, this was my favorite score, mainly because of the music that plays during the landing of the Vulcans. It's perfect. But it goes beyond that.  The combat music, the music when the Borg invades Earth Space...screw it. EVERYTHING in this score is absolutely brilliant, but damn it if that music when First Contact officially happens doesn't bring a tear to the eye each and every time.  I love the movie, I love the soundtrack...but there is one film I feel with the superior soundtrack, and it just came out.

1. Star Trek Beyond (Michael Giacchino)
https://youtu.be/XPvPp6dOjf0 (Thank Your Lucky Star Date)
https://youtu.be/BZpXNZXLoDU (Night on the Yorktown)
https://youtu.be/EgLPN06E6j0 (Hitting the Saucer a Little Hard)

The newest film's soundtrack takes first place in my book easily. Why? Because it's the one soundtrack that I honestly believe is as close to perfection as you can get. It's emotional, it's intense, it sets the right mood almost each and every time.  I will say that for a film marking the 50th Anniversary of the franchise, "Night on the Yorktown" IS perfection. The music during the destruction of the Enterprise.  Perfection. One of the things going in to see this movie that I made sure to pay attention to was the soundtrack, because of how great the other two reboot soundtracks were.  I wasn't disappointed one bit. I really do believe that it will be hard to top this soundtrack in the future.  But you never know I guess.

And there you have it, my rankings of the Trek films by their soundtrack.  Agree?  Disagree? Let me know what you believe is the best Star Trek soundtrack down below, and as always, thanks for reading.

REVIEW: Godzilla Resurgence (Shin Godzilla)

Oh for the love of God...

I'm not gonna lie, I went into the theater very nervous for this one. Not only has Autumn been a very disappointing season so far for me involving movies, but each and every trailer I've seen for this film has not impressed me. Hell, I still have no idea what this movie is about or what happens since the only trailers I've seen have zero dialogue whatsoever. And I KNOW that if I didn't like this film, the fandom would tear me a new one, because apparently, Toho Godzilla is perfection to about 90% of the fanbase. It is the devil. And I'm a pretty big Godzilla fan. I own most the films, I've devoted a lot of time and energy to the big guy, even in his worst moments. Even in my adult mind, I enjoy him. But I can't help but criticize this just a bit for how Toho has handled this film. Allow me to explain...

In 2014, I absolutely loved our reboot of the big guy. Despite its flaws, I walked out of the theater with a smile on my face, and satisfaction. It was a great film to me which did justice Godzilla both in name and spirit. Was it different? Yeah. But I'm open to different. I pay practically no attention to fans who just trash it or complain about it just because it's different or doesn't have a lot of action. It's a favorite. But when Toho inevitably came back into the Godzilla scene after a decade of retirement, despite praising it, they kinda just did this 180 on the film which rubbed me the wrong way and said they "wouldn't bow to Hollywood" or something along those lines. I kinda have a sour taste in my mouth after that because it gives me this idea that Toho is full of itself. I'm sorry, I'm not trying to sound like I believe Hollywood is perfect, but back off, Toho. This film has now been in theaters in Japan for a few months with some hailing it as a masterpiece. Big words. I have some bad news for each and every Godzilla fan. There is no such thing as a Godzilla Masterpiece. There never was one, and there never will be. Not even the original. It can enter discussions, due to the cultural impact it had on a post WWII Japan, but despite helping pave the way to other giant monster films alongside other great films like Them!, or Beast from 10,000 Fathoms, it has overacting, and some absolutely forgettable story arcs, and characters. For the time it was impressive and still a great watch today. But if you were to tell me it was the best film from Japan in 1954, you'd be sorely mistaken. Seven Samurai rightfully won that award for a reason. And the sequels? The countless sequels? They're fun. But a lot of them, and I mean a LOT of them are junk. In some ways, Godzilla is more guilty than the films of Transformers for trying to make a quick buck for your want of mayhem and destruction. Pick any random Godzilla sequel, and tell me five major events that happen in that movie. Like elements important to the overall story. It's harder than you realize because there are times I think Toho honestly doesn't care about Godzilla in story anymore. So when I see them going about this movie, and Japanese critics praising it as it they are, they're only raising my bar higher and higher. Well...it's finally here in America. It has a mediocre name...partly because I'm still somewhat angry that Independence Day Resurgence was as dull as it was, but it's here. And I'm watching it. 

Is it good???

No! Don't believe the hype. Because I don't think a Godzilla film has ever been so incredibly....BORING! Goddammit Toho, what have you done?!

I'm not kidding. I'm willing to bet that over 75% of this film revolves around Japanese politicians sitting around tables...talking. Seriously?! This is the "masterpiece" we were supposed to get? THIS-

Okay, let me calm myself. Despite what you might think, the movie doesn't do everything wrong, there is some very decent stuff here, and some really cool concepts. And I'm not gonna lie, some of the camerawork is absolutely gorgeous. But that is literally all I can say for this film. As the movie kept rolling, I was just compiling a list of things that weren't working, and that list kept growing, and growing, and growing. The monster, atrocious. The characters, forgettable.  The story, nonexistent. I hate saying this, but I'm wondering if this is one of the worst Godzilla films I've ever seen. You can say what you want about 2014's film, but it at least knew how to keep the story rolling. If I want to be brutally honest? Godzilla Resurgence should probably be named Japanese Godzilla Politics. Because that's what this movie is. 

It needs to be said that continuity will be as confusing as ever, because this movie once again wipes the slate of Godzilla films clean.  Only in this case...not even the original movie happened.  You heard right, 1954's film never took place. I'd have been open to this if the origin story of this Godzilla wasn't so completely botched up. Here...Godzilla isn't a dinosaur in origin.  He's some mutated lungfish. I'm not joking, that's the exact word they compared him to, and with his very silly introduction scene where he kinda just slithers around in some of the most ridiculous ways I can picture. He's a creature or lungfish that fed off radioactive waste at the bottom of the ocean...so nuclear testing is now out of the picture, and he rapidly evolves in the to become one of the goofiest incarnations of the creature I've ever seen.  Seriously, I hated it before I saw the film, and I hate it still.  The design of this Godzilla very rarely appears intimidating, and it doesn't help that its mouth almost never closes in the entire movie, giving off this strange goofy smile. Credit again where credit is due, there are indeed some camera shots and angles that are stunning. One of my favorite shots involved a camera inside a moving train, looking up at Godzilla as he tromped around Tokyo. And though a LOT of the CGI seems out of place, there are times that it looks brilliant, and shows how Japan is beginning to embrace it to enhance their filmmaking. But that isn't enough here. Godzilla barely does a thing in this movie. There are times he just idly stands around while all the military unleashed their might against him. And it needs to be said that despite my love of Godzilla being this unkillable walking god of destruction, they went over the top with his power levels here.  Not only does he fire his atomic breath from his mouth here, he shoots it all over the damn place ifrom his back, and even from his tail,  at times lighting up the screen like I'm at some dance rave. Was this really necessary? It looks....dumb honestly. But I will say that when he first unleashes his atomic breath, it is a sight to behold, almost perfectly symbolizing the powers of the atomic bomb.  

So Godzilla failed to make much of an impression.  Strike one. What about the setting? Well the camerawork over Tokyo is great, but again, over 75% of this movie revolves around politicians sitting around tables talking about what's going on, and about how the world is reacting and whatnot. And it gets old real fast. If you thought them cutting away from the action in Godzilla (2014) was bad, just wait until you see this film, in which they'll show a few seconds of something happening with the monster, before returning to the tables for another fifteen minutes. Dialogue in this movie is repeated countless times as people confirm orders, and take dramatic pauses in how they'll be looked at in history for what they decide to do. Movie...I have three words for you here.  NO ONE CARES. This is a Godzilla movie! Not the Presidential Debate! I'm not trying to trash talk Japanese policy or whatnot, but I don't watch Godzilla for this! When I watch Godzilla rampaging through Tokyo, I know the city is being evacuated, and I know the military is organizing the counteroffensive. I don't need or want to see the Japanese Prime Minister issuing countless orders to evacuate residential areas. That shouldn't be the focus. And I most certainly do not care or want to see him complaining about soggy noodles. Yeah that happens. The characters of this movie are beyond forgettable. I barely remember anyone's name. I remember a lot of silly complaining, a lot of jabs at America being the country that wants to just blow everything to hell without a second thought, and that's about it. The story here is literally about Godzilla attacking a city. There's no other monster.  They were trying to remake Godzilla 1954. Only not nearly as memorable, and without the impactful message of carelessness of nuclear weaponry. Instead, Godzilla is just kinda branded a god, and that mankind will just have to live with him. 

The music of this film is absolutely forgettable. In some places, it doesn't fit the scene at all. THe first time we see Godzilla charging up his atomic breath...which they call fire in this movie by the way, the music being played is this heavenly sounding song. There are times that the music goes into this intense electric guitar driven song as if to try and show that the final effort is being planned, when in all honesty, it's just more talking. And as if to try and call back to the original, it sounds that some of the movie and sound effects were ripped straight off the director's DVD copy of the original movie, as if to try and give off a little nostalgia. Unfortunately, it just kinda stands out awkwardly. 

...

I'm actually kinda at a loss for words right now, because I wanted to like this movie, I really did.  Godzilla is a huge piece of my childhood, but this film took so many steps backward.  For me to be told by Japanese media that this is a masterpiece? How? I'll admit that some of the politics had my attention.  There is a lot of references to post WWII Japan military restrictions, and the United States DOES have to help Japan out in this movie, but these moments of interest, and action are so few and far between, that it's hard to give this movie much credit. Godzilla has always been an icon for children in more ways than one, while also bring this giant metaphor for nuclear destruction, and nature in all her fury.  There's something for everyone in this franchise, but a lot of people introduced to the big guy, are of younger ages. If I were to show this film to a child, I doubt they'd make it ten minutes. The focus of this film was a complete mess, and so I will stand by my stance.  This movie is bad. It's really bad. Is it one of the worst? I don't know yet, but you won't find me giving it a second watch any time soon.  When I can tell you more about what happened in Godzilla's Revenge?  You know that you have a problem. Fuck this movie.

Godzilla Resurgence earns a one and a half star rating out of four, and that's me being generous. While certain concepts work to the film's advantage, and while some of the camerawork and action can be great to look at, the fact that the rest of this movie seems so nonexistent really takes a toll. Now the fact remains that I may not have enjoyed this, simply because I don't understand Japanese politics.  Maybe this is a Godzilla film for Japan mainly...butI can't excuse it for that if that is indeed the case.  It failed to keep my attention.  It failed to convince me the stretch my believability, and it failed to entertain me in ways other Godzilla films have.  Even Godzilla 1998 had more going for it. I am happy to see Toho back after 12 years of no Godzilla from them. But to see this from them as their return? It doesn't work.  And the fact that they're hinting at a sequel?  I'm not on board.  Toho, if you want to do more...you need to drop this movie like a dozen eggs, and really think as to what makes Godzilla so very fun to begin with...

Please feel free to suggest any movies you'd like me to review down below.  Leave a comment of what you yourself thought of this film.  If you're in the Godzilla fanbase...go easy on me with the hate. Please. And as always, thanks for reading.

Final Verdict: 1.5/4

REVIEW: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

After last week's disaster film I saw in Magnificent Seven, let's just say that I was pretty much willing to see anything. Well, this week, another film I was curious about came into theaters. The newest film by Tim Burton. And going into the theater I was nervous a bit. To me, Tim Burton is beginning to age on me. He hasn't really done anything recently to wow me. In fact, a lot of his latest films if you ask me are kinda...bad. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's the endless roles he does work mad actor Johnny Depp. Maybe it's his focus on visuals more than actual storytelling. I really don't know. As a director, he's never impressed me. But seeing the trailer for this film got me a bit curious. I didn't know what to expect, but it looks like a fun Heroes-y, Harry Potter like story or something. Yeah. I wanted to take a look into it.

And the first thing I said after watching this movie was "......what?"

Honestly, what did I just watch? I might honestly go into another Tim Burton break after this because I'm once again unimpressed. I don't know how to describe this story. I really don't. And it's not that I wasn't paying attention, it's just that this movie seems to explain its own rules, before throwing them out the window completely. I didn't expect time travel to be a factor in this movie, but it is kinda, and it creates one of the most confusing movies I've ever seen, and has left me in a thorough state of....ehh. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. It was...adequate. It was an adequate mess.  Autumn movies this year's aren't starting out so hot, are they.

One thing Burton did nail as he usually does however, is the visuals. Credit where credit is due, there is some lovely, lovely visuals that will please the Burton fans. Wanna see it in 3D? I'm sure you'll get your money's worth. Some scenes are absolutely gorgeous, such as the underwater scenes. They're gorgeous. And though there's extensive use of CGI that can stand out, it's still done in a rather fun way. The visuals once more carry this film in ways that nothing else can. But I'm willing to bet that this trump card for Burton will wear off before too long.

The story focuses on a boy names Jake whose life is just one big joke to Peru much everyone in this film. No kidding. Literally everyone around him, except his grandfather, is a complete jerk. In ways that seem almost completely childish. Send Jake off the road so that he steps in a mud puddle and loses a shoe. Ha ha ha! We're assholes! It needs to be said that no one in this movie is developed enough for me to really connect with them. That's not to say that no one is interesting. Ask the children in this movie with these peculiar abilities are fun to watch in their own ways. And unlike other films that would have a lot of characters like this, each contribute a lot with their power. It's very fun to watch. More on this shortly. But as far as overall personality is concerned, I didn't exactly get a whole lot of development. The two main emotions that people seem to portray in this film, are worry/feelings for Jake, or straight up jerk personas, also aimed mainly at Jake. Would it kill someone to act...ordinary in this film? Not even Jake's parents seem to act loving of their son. His father is a complete jerk (I know I'm saying this a lot but it just happens so much in the movie), and his mother seems so very absent. Like what did she do in this movie? I guess I shouldn't question this too much since the parents in this film are dropped from the film like a dozen eggs.

The story is so convoluted and all over the place, that it's hard to follow. In fact, I genuinly don't understand why things were as they were. So much of this film is unexplained, that by the time the end rolls around, you're left with more questions than you want. Why does Samuel L. Jackson's character HAVE to eat eyeballs? How did he discover this? Why does it need to be eyeballs? Honestly I think Burton wanted an excuse to film someone eating eyeballs. It really makes no sense. On the subject of Samuel, you can tell he is having a lot of fun with his role. And though the film's climax is about as ransom and jumbled, and adds more unanswered questions to the unanswered questions pile, there is a charm in how very awkward, yet action packed it is. What I mean by awkward is that this huge fight involving monsters takes place in broad daylight in London, 2016. A battle involving cotton candy, snowballs, and powers the children have. It's absurdly kinda cartoonish now that I think about it. All set to this awkwardly played techno soundtrack. It's a mess I had a little fun watching. Even though the forced romantic ending is one I don't care for. Again, our characters weren't developed enough for me to care. In fact the ending is so clunky and rushed that it actually kinda annoyed me.

All in all this film is likely to please that peon of Burton fans who just go to the theater to see something weird. The film has Burton's name all over it. From the strange sets, to the eccentric characters. It's a big ball of weird that does have its moments, but not really enough to make me wanna recommend it to anyone else.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children earns a two out of four stars for me. I almost gave it a two and a half, but the more I think about what I just sat through the more I just keep questioning it. As bad as the Magnificent Seven was, it did tell a coherent story. One I could follow. The only thing it did wrong was tell it as terrible as it did. This film has a story, but it doesn't seem to focus on it. It just jumps all over the map and hopes you can keep up as it dazzles you with peculiar characters and nice imagery. Unfortunetaly, that's not going to help float the boat for me. Tim Burton's a wonderful visionary, but his stories need work, and this probably shows that more than any of his other recent work.

Please feel free to request and movie you'd like me to take a look at. Leave a comment down below existing your own thoughts on the film, and as always, thanks for reading.

Final Verdict: 2/4

GAME REVIEW: Star Trek Online

Space...the final frontier. These are the words every Star Trek fan knows by heart. And if you don't, that means you're lying. It didn't take me long to gain a small liking to this franchise, and though it took a while, it has become one of my favorite science fiction franchises of all time. From the series, to the films, to books, to comics, to board games, to ship models, I can proudly say I have a little bit of everything. However, being the big gamer that I am, for the longest time, I'd never owned a Star Trek video game. And honestly, that was for good reason. That's because a lot of the Star Trek video games...well...kinda suck. Like the recent 2013 game simply entitled "Star Trek" Which was based on the reboot franchise. Much love to that series, but that game was pretty bad. That's not to say that all Star Trek games are bad, I remember the Voyager arcade game that dominated most movie theater lobbies in the 90's, and I've been recommended games like Bridge Commander or Armada. Both of which I want to try, but lack the PC to do so. And for the longest time, the game we're going to be talking about was unavailable to me, despite how much I wanted to try it. But finally, it was released as a free to play on Xbox and Playstation, so of course I jumped on it. I was ready to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, and to boldly go where no one has gone before.

...And about fifteen minutes into the game I could list about fifteen things that would make this game insanely better. That's not to say the game is terrible. Far from it.  But the overall gameplay at times can be underwhelming, linear, and far from Trek-like. And thus we do have yet to get that perfect Star Trek game, but it does need to be said that the blueprints for that perfect Star Trek game are here. It gets a lot right, but completely misses out on other things. The result can be a kind of frustrating mixed bag that still has its fun elements.

The first thing that immediately comes to mind that I love about this game is the setting. Unlike a good majority of fans, who prefer the Kirk era of Star Trek, I'm very much a guy who prefers later 24th Century Trek. I like Picard, Sisko, and Janeway. And I much prefer that era. Seeing this game go beyond the 24th Century, into the first decade of the 25th Century is a much welcome move for me. I was ready to see how the Romulan Empire dealt with the tragic destruction of Romulus, I was ready to see how the Federation and the rest of the galaxy was recovering from the devastating Dominion War, I was ready to see what kind of new threats perhaps awaited us in the stars. Unfortunetaly, very little of this comes to be. In fact, you quickly realize the marketing ploy behind this when you get a rather disappointing explanation as to what exactly is going on. The diplomatic relations between the Federation and Klingon Empire has fallen apart, and they're at war. I'd have been open to this, but the way they present it feels so very forced. All I can seem to gather is that some Klingon Ambassador felt that the Empire wasn't itself unless it was at war. I'm not joking, this seems to be the only motive.  I highly doubt that the long-time relations between the Federation and Klingon Empire, which has had close calls before but has also been through thick and thin would go to war for such a simple reason. And if that wasn't enough, you also get to fight Romulans who want revenge for the loss of their homeworld, the Borg who are returning because...reasons, and the Dominion, which is building up its forces yet again. Do you see what I mean by marketing ploy? Instead of giving us anything new really, we're back to fighting pretty much each and every famous antagonist the Federation ever faced. There's no explanation of how the Dominion built up its forces, despite being completely dominated in the last stages of the war, there's no explanation of why the Borg are suddenly a threat again, despite being crippled in Voyager...it feels more like a gimmick.

You start this game off creating your ship captain using a rather disappointing character creator. While you're given plenty of options, the graphics of this game are nothing to marvel at and it's very hard to give your character a perfect look (for a 2010 game, it could look better). Features can stick out in all the wrong ways. For example, the beard my character sports really doesn't look like its a part of him at all. What disappointments there are in creating your character however are near completely forgotten when you get to customize your ship. Acquiring, customizing, and flying your ship is where this game really shines. While it needs to be said that certain classes of ships are rather hard to come by (more on this later), each ship you get can be customized in so many ways, and the graphics of the ships look absolutely gorgeous. And despite many classes of ships you can use being rather...outdated if you ask me (I have a feeling that in the 25th Century, the NX ships, Miranda Class, Constitution Class, and Excelsior class despite my love of this class would no longer be produced), you're given a decent amount of options to create the ship you want, in look, and performance. You'll start out with a Miranda class (if you go with the Federation), then as you level your character up, you'll unlock other ships, from smaller yet powerful escort ships, to the iconic cruisers, to science vessels. There is plenty of variety to choose from. You can rename your ships, select their bridge crew from personnel who give your ship different abilities, and this has become the main driving force of the game for me. I want to unlock more ships. And pilot them. And I find it very fun to come across other players, and to examine their ships. I love seeing what other Trekkies like myself have named their ships. But of course, you do have the other players, who obviously know nothing about Star Trek, or just don't care about the immersion factor. That's nothing against the game, it's just something I find silly to be warping through the depths of space, only to come across a ship known as the "USS Destroyer 420" or the "USS enterprice". Or to come upon a ship that's a member of "Fleet 69". Classy.  Straight from the numerous lore archives of Memory Alpha itself.

Unfortunately certain ships you might wanna acquire are completely locked off. One ship I've yet to be able to acquire because I'm not a high enough level yet, is the Vesta Class starship, and even if I was at a high enough level, I doubt I'd be able to get it because to my understanding, the only way to acquire it is to buy Zen points with your own money. It needs to be said that microtransactions make their appearance in this game. They unlock certain ships, cosmetics of certain ships, bridge officers, clothing, you name it, they're in a lot of places, and what's really kinda angering is that most of the more powerful ships are locked behind these transactions. You can unlock the games signature Odyssey Class ship, but an even more powerful version of it is available for money. And these ships can run you up to twenty-five dollars or more! For one single ship! This is a bit of a slap in the face to me, but for a free to play MMORPG, my guess is they gotta pay their bills somehow. And I am thankful that they don't shove these microtranaactions in your face as other games do. So I kinda see this as a necessary evil in a way. Even if a bit dickish.

The story of this game is at times, incredibly linear. One thing I found incredibly hopeful at first only to be disappointed, was that you start off as an ensign, straight from the academy.  This I like! I thought it would be cool to work your way up through the ranks to eventually gain command of the ship, but alas, this wasn't meant to be as the first mission has it. Your commanding officer is killed right off the bat and you pretty much gain your ship right then and there. I think it would have been pretty cool to work your way up, rather than just gain commanding status right away. Right off the bat, I found myself not really enjoying the ground missions. The planets you beam down to really aren't that open, the enemies you face aren't overly challenging, and the environments can be rather bland and dull. A lot of these mission maps serve as nothing more than for you to go from point A to point B.  And you're not given a whole lot of options in solving a mission. There is no take suggestions from your fellow bridge members option, or attempt a solution yourself, it is one bridge officer or you have the solution at the ready, go execute said solution, and kill whoever stands in your way.  Again.  Very much like the lore of the franchise. This is where the game could have shone as a testament to what a true Star Trek game could have been like.  While I understand that Starfleet holds to high moral codes, why is the dialogue system of this game so very...scripted? You're not given a whole lot of options.  And even when the dialogue system does have multiple options, you'll always have a green highlighted option which will progress your mission forward.  There is no right or wrong answer.  You cannot develop a personality with your captain, it's been written for you.  In other words, if I wanted to break immersion, and be just a complete jerk of a captain, I can't do that.  I cannot in any way affect the diplomacy of this game, and Star Trek is practically centered on diplomacy. And while certain solutions can come up that are unique to your character's class (Tactical, Engineering, or Science), these so very rarely come up, that I can't help but wonder why they bothered including them in the first place. More work here could have been done to make this a more variable game, perhaps with an added element of cause and effect.  Perhaps a wrong decision has a very negative impact on your mission? Or even relations with other factions? See where I'm going with this? Diplomacy in this manner might actually make for a very strong Star Trek game, rather than the shoot 'em up game we ended up with.

Gameplay on the ground is also rather stiff.  I almost never aim down the sights because the aim is so very werky-jerky, and constantly locks onto members of my own team, and I have no easy way of switching to enemy targets. At times, it even switches when I don't want it to or tell it to. The weapons that you can have are pretty fun and varied. And capable of doing different effects. You don't really have to worry too much about aiming as a lot of these kinda just hit your target, but this isn't so much a complaint from me, because headshots and whatnot really don't matter too much in this game, and I actually like this aspect as it keeps very much to the Star Trek spirit.  It's cool to know that your high intensity weapon can be just as deadly on the body as a head shot in your average Call of Duty game. While ground combat and gameplay can be disappointing, it is all forgotten when you're piloting your ship and engaging in ship to ship combat, because this is again, one of the coolest aspects of the game. Like ground combat, you don't have to worry too much about aiming, but this is again, very much in the Trek spirit.  And you can still work to avoid the attacks of your enemies, and are very much focused on ways to deplete the shields of your enemies, whilst unleashing your full payload of photon torpedoes on your enemies. This is yet another aspect of the game that keeps me playing.  I'm not confident enough to try and challenge other ships, but it needs to be said that when you're engaged in battles in which the ships are neck and neck and tearing each other up, it can be satisfying to walk away victorious.

Some Trekkies will appreciate the amount of nostalgia that is in this game.  Many levels of this game come straight from elements or actual plots of other episodes. For me personally, this can get a bit confusing, or at times a little...too safe.  I don't like spoiling things, but the very last level of the Klingon War story arc, you get to fight a planet killer. If you don't know what a planet killer is, it's an enemy from one of my favorite episodes of the Original Series, "The Doomsday Machine". I wouldn't mind this too much as fighting this mechanical horror is fun in a nostalgic way, but the take a lot of elements straight from the episode it's based off of. An ally you have in this straight up rams a shuttlecraft down the killer's maw and reveals to the player that the open maw is its weakness. Another example includes an altered timeline because the Enterprise-C was taken from its original timeline. You know...like the episode "Yesterday's Enterprise" of The Next Generation, which features the same ship and plot. While each of these missions have their own take to the story, it cane be a bit of a head scratcher to me.  Why just base missions off famous episodes of the franchise, instead of create something new? Because a lot of the original missions they have seem so very basic and not too rewarding. While I enjoy playing through these missions, and uncovering lore and background of this universe, a lot of it can be rather bland. But it does need to be said that there are a lot of very fun missions that aren't just based off episodes of the franchise.  One of my favorite episodes revolved around my ship going back in time to stop a Klingon ship from destroying the original NCC-1701 Constitution Class USS Enterprise. This episode does kinda...well...feature the Guardian of Forever from the Original Series, but it does it in a very fun way.  Hearing Leonard Nimoy's voice (he did do some voiceover work for this) as Spock, thanking my ship for the assistance made me smile. And later on when I'm confronting the Klingon who tried to destroy the Enterprise, they come back and assist me!  This is a geek's dream come true.

However, there are times I feel this game isn't quite as polished as it should be. I've run into numerous bugs that while not entirely game-breaking, have been very annoying and frustrating.  I had the hardest time passing one particular mission because during one segment in which I had to destroy a comet, I had numerous Klingon Ships warp in to attack me. And though I could engage them, after I'd destroy one, my weapons would just straight up refuse to fire. This wasn't anything like a weapons deactivation ability, my weapons didn't even have the option to fire. I'd get destroyed, respawn, I'd be able to fire, I'd destroy one Klingon ship, and then the bug would come right back.  This was beyond frustrating. Eventually I had it so that I destroyed the comet before engaging any other Klingon ships and this worked.  I haven't experienced a bug like that since, but you'll notice them in the game more often than not.  I've also been frustrated when a certain action box or dialogue box will come up, and then shortly afterward, ANOTHER one will come up in front of it or behind it. And there's no way to exit out of some of these boxes. Sometimes you actually have to control your dialogue options of the box that's behind the other box.  There's gotta be an easy fix for this...come on Arc. I also find it kinda silly that there is no ship collision damage. While we know better than to run directly into an asteroid while flying a ship, if you were to do it, there's no consequence.  You'll just kinda harmlessly bounce off it in an awkward way, or even at times, ghost right through it. Maybe Starfleet perfected the Phase-cloaking? The same goes for other ships and planets. You cannot die by crashing your ship into anything which is in a way kinda understandable, but I feel some sort of consequence should have been added here. Another thing I need to mention is that the overall gameplay of your ships and whatnot isn't exactly explained the best.  It took me at least ten to fifteen missions to realize that Bridge officers provided the numerous abilities for your ships, and even then I didn't know how to equip the ship with bridge officers.  And I can't say I'm an expert there because I'm still learning how to recruit additional bridge officers and whatnot.  I'm a Commander, level 29, and only have one additional bridge officer from recruitment. I'm unsure if this is the way it's meant to be or if I'm just missing something.  

All in all, the blueprints for a good Star Trek game are here, and in some ways, the elements in this game are very well done.  But as fun and satisfying as it can be, some things do just hold it back.  I won't penalize it too much as it is free-to-play, and for the amount of game we're given, it can be quite impressive despite a few frustrations in learning, but once you pick it up, it can be a real treat, especially if you're into Star Trek as I am. Yeah the story doesn't really feel very much like a Trek type of story, but for what we have right now, there are a lot of things I have found fascinating in the game's lore, and overall story.  It does hold to the spirit of discovery, even if you're not exactly out exploring the unknown, more than you are just fighting your enemies.  The music, is nothing too special, but the opening theme I gotta say is pretty cool. And it does need to be said that there are times you will go off the path of your normal missions just to go and explore, and you will find things to do, that will keep you entertained, or come across just little things like a memorial where Romulus once was that make exploring a bit encouraged.  It's not the perfect Star Trek game, but it's a really good first step to getting that perfect game we will one day have...hopefully.

I'm giving Star Trek Online a solid seven out of ten.  If you're on the console Xbox One or Playstation 4, and have been wanting to try this game, we've final been given the opportunity, For a free to play game, I'm happy for the most part with what we got.  Feel free to voice your opinions down below, and as always, thanks for reading.

Final Verdict: 7/10