Avengers: Endgame (2019) Review

Just over 5 years ago, the culmination of the first 3 phases of The MCU came to a head with Avengers: Endgame. This was one of the biggest Cinematic events to ever take place and with it hitting its 5 year anniversary, I thought I would give it a rewatch and here is my review for the film. The premise of the film sees the world in turmoil after the events of Avengers: Infinity War, with one last chance to make things right, The Avengers reunite to take on their biggest challenge. 

Main Character

Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark was the real start of this whole cinematic universe and he is brilliant in this film. He really delivers a strong performance, you see how the events of the previous film really affects him and motivates him to come to terms and once again become Iron man. He still has the funny quips and narcissism that made his character famous which is great. 

Chris Evans is back as Steve Rogers and similarly he does a great job with this iconic role. He has great chemistry with Downey & Scarlett Johansson and I thought this film did a great job putting him back in the spotlight and having him being an emotional centre of the film. 

Supporting Characters

Now this might be the largest cast in film history, so I will definitely miss some people out but everybody delivers on their performances and really bring the comic book characters to the cinema screen. 

Mark Ruffalo reprises his role as Bruce Banner and I actually liked the direction they take his character in this film. They make him a more enjoyable character to watch and it is really good seeing The Hulk getting a bit more time to shine after missing for the majority of the previous film. 

Scarlett Johansson plays Natasha Romanoff and they really did some really good work with her character of Black Widow. She really struggles with the weight that comes with being one of the leaders of The Avengers who failed and Johansson is strong in her role here. 

Chris Hemsworth is back as Thor and after the events of Infinity War he is really the character that is effected in a really interesting way. The film handles his failures in a way that I don't think anyone could have expected and it is handled well with Thor developing a lot during the film. 

After missing Infinity War, Jeremy Renner & Paul Rudd are back as Clint Barton & Scott Lang respectively.  The film really focuses on the issues that Barton has gone through since the events of the previous film and it is pretty dark and easy to relate too. Paul Rudd is mostly used for comic relief but is a lot of fun and when he needs to deliver some more dramatic scenes he is good at that too. 

Don Cheadle gets more screen time as Rhodey and does a good job, Karen Gillan is given her best work yet as Nebula and Thanos played by Josh Brolin is a great villain, though he is clearly not the most important character like he was in Infinity War. 

Story

The story is great, it really fits the drama and feeling of a world in disarray after what happened in the previous film and the performances delivered on it. Despite having lots of characters and lots of story beats to hit, it really delivers on it and has twists and turns that wouldn't be expected and really drive it up. There is plenty of comic book film fun though and the last act of the film is pure cinema and an experience unlike any other, especially for fans of these films that have been watching since the beginning. 

Script 

This film actually feels a little different to others in the MCU in that it is more serious. It realises the situation that the characters are in and realises it has to be a bit more serious and have these characters have emotional issues and I am glad they went in this direction. The film does have plenty of humour though and these people are naturally funny which does help. 

Style

The film has great action sequences, there is a lot of green screen and CGI but it looks great throughout and the way they managed to make the film seem really epic is through this. The film is 3 hours long but it really doesn't feel like it, it is paced really well and allows the audience to be invested in the story.

Overall

Overall, Avengers: Endgame is one of my favourite films. Being a huge fan of Marvel, this felt like the apex of what could be achieved and the fact that everybody involved nailed it so well made it a truly special event and one that needs to be seen. 

Rating - 10/10

Mass Effect (2007/2021) Review

When I was younger, one of the first games I really got invested in was Mass Effect and I have played through the whole trilogy many times. I decided to once again go through the trilogy and the spinoff Andromeda and review them. I really got back into the franchise when the legendary edition was released and all of the reviews will be the legendary versions of the game, so here is my review for the game. The premise of the game sees in a future where humans discovered they weren't alone in the universe, an elite human soldier must lead a team to save the world from a rogue agent. 

Characters

For this playthrough I decided to play as a Male Commander Shepard, but I have done previous playthroughs as a Female Shepard and Jennifer Hale is fantastic in the role and in the near future I am sure I will do another run-through as this version of the character. Mark Meer plays the Male version of the character and he is also fantastic, he feels really believable as this soldier and as the squeaky clean soldier is good. He is also really funny with his deadpan lines and Meer nails it for sure. 

My favourite character from this game is Urdnot Wrex who is voiced by Steven Barr. He is a Krogan mercenary and he is the coolest character, he is the most intense and renegade character in the game but he has a sense of honour and the relationship that he builds with Shepard is really well handled. 

Brandon Keneer plays Garrus Vakarian and he is decent here, he is a character that is clearly struggling with his place in the galaxy and sees working with Shepard as an opportunity to find his way. There is very much a professional relationship between him and Shepard which mean he doesn't quite have the chemistry that would be developed in future games. 

Ali Hillis plays Liara T'Soni & Ash Sroka plays Tali and they are both good in the game but similar to Garrus they don't fully hit their stride in this game and are setting up the intrigue and they are good character but we only start to really delve into their character here

Last of the squadmates is Kimberly Brooks playing Ashley Williams and Raphael Sbarge playing Kaidan Alenko. As the only human squadmates they are naturally less interesting then their alien allies but the game does give them character and the voice actors do good enough work to make them valued part of the team. 

There are so many fantastic characters in this game. Saren is a brilliant villain for this game and is perfect for this story. Captain Anderson played by the legendary Keith David is an awesome mentor for Shepard and Joker played by Seth Green is a great addition to the group. 

Story

This story is fantastic, it really does a great job of introducing us to this universe and cast of characters. The different species and motivations are well realised for sure. The main character being on the hunt for a rogue agent sounds quite simple but it really works and the more focus on the main plot with a few longer main missions is an interesting but effective choice. The ending is pretty epic and does an amazing job of setting up the future games with lots of effective choices for the player to make that will also affect the future. 

Side Content

There is plenty of side content in this game and some of the missions have really interesting subject matter that keeps things interesting when not focusing on the main plot. It allows the player to make their own decisions and gets to learn some more stuff about your squadmates. However, some of these missions are quite repetitive, the bases look the same and a lot of them just feel very similar which is a shame. 

Gameplay

The gameplay has definitely been improved with the Legendary Edition. The gunplay is good and this game has the most RPG feeling of the trilogy, you get plenty of armour, weapons and mods to use which makes the gameplay feel fresh as you play. However, it still isn't that great and it is the weakest part of this game, it is weaker gunplay then most modern shooters that you get today. The Mako is brought back and again, even though it is improved it is still frustrating to use and hindered my enjoyment of the experience. 

Graphics

Because I played the Legendary Edition version of this game, it looked fantastic. The character models are much improved and the planets themselves look a lot different and just feel unique. The cutscenes are really well rendered and it just made everything more exciting. 

Overall

Overall, Mass Effect is a great game. It rises above some of its weaknesses and introduces people to this amazing world and franchise that will continue to provide great content. If you haven't played this game then get The Legendary Edition a go and start this trilogy. 

Rating - 8/10 

Fallout Season 1 (2024) Review

Before I start this review, I have to say that I have never played a Fallout game, though I know the basic premise so I won't be judging my opinion of the show based on any of the games. Though I have now finished watching the Fallout TV Show and here is my review for it. The premise of the show sees a post apocalypse world after a nuclear war which sees people living in vaults underground to avoid the dangers of the surface. 

Main Character

Ella Purnell plays Lucy McLean and she is fantastic in this show. Her character has a fantastic character development throughout and I just think she played up the role really well. She was a likeable character and somebody who was easy to root for in this show. There is a naivety to her as she interacts with other characters but it can come across as charming and gives her a way to develop. 

Supporting Characters

Aaron Moten plays Maximus and he is decent in his role. It personally took me longer to care about his character then the others and I just think Moten didn't convey much emotion or reason to care about him. But that does mostly change midway through the show and Moten starts to grow into the role and add some more personality. 

Walton Goggins plays Cooper Howard/The Ghoul and he is tremendous in both versions of his character. We see Goggins as Cooper in his prime, before the nuclear war and it is interesting to see, especially compared to his undead bounty hunter persona in the modern day story. He is very charismatic and the fact that he has all this story about him does make him the most interesting part of the show and Goggins smashes it. 

Moises Arias plays Norm McLean and he is very good in the show and gets given his own story arc which is actually important for the overall show. He is mostly separate from the other main characters but he does an effective job and I grew to like his character more after the first episode. 

This has a big cast, that have smaller roles here and they are all great. This world is full of lively people and it feels like a vibrant world because of their performances whether they be on the surface or in the vaults, it was really effective. 

Story

The story is great, as I said I have no idea about The Fallout story in the games but I became really invested in this shows plot and interested throughout. We see stories both on the wasteland and in the vaults and both are pretty captivating and do a good job of developing the characters. The flashbacks are good as well and are used effectively to give more context for the storytelling. 

Script

The show is well written, it has moments of comedy in there but also plenty of dramatic moments that made me care. There are many twists and intrigue here and I think the writing did an effective job of showing this. 

Style

Amazon clearly had high hopes for Fallout as you can see the massive budget used and the show looks fantastic. Both the wasteland and Vaults look so unique and fully encapsulate the tone of the show. Though, I think there were some issues, mainly the overuse of slow-mo in action scenes. I think slow-mo is a tool that can be used effectively but it has to be used carefully and this show definitely overuses it. I also know that country music is heavily involved with the games and it is well treated here but again it is just overused, especially during some of the action scenes that didn't require it. 

Overall

Overall, the first season of Fallout was fantastic. It made me super interested in this universe and hyped for a potential second season. Even if you haven't played any of the games, this is still a show that should be watched because I think you will really enjoy it. 

Rating - 9/10

Barbie (2023) Review

It has been almost a year since Barbie was released and I have finally found the time to give it a watch and here is my review for this global phenomenon that I didn't watch at the cinema. The premise of the film sees Barbie and Ken living their best life in Barbie Land, but when they go to the real world they see how that world affects both of them. 

Main Character

Margot Robbie plays Barbie and she is fantastic in her role, she is literally what I would expect when somebody was cast as Barbie and I think she knew that. She has that natural charisma and star power about her that means she owns the screen and plays the over the top Barbie well. But there are some dramatic scenes here where she takes this ridiculous character and makes you care about her and the situation that she is in. Though I don't think it defines her performance I think it was a shame that she didn't get an Oscar nomination for this role when others were given that honour. 

Supporting Characters

Ryan Gosling plays Ken and he is also brilliant in this film. He just understands what was required to take on this role and his chemistry with Robbie is fantastic. He is his own character and does have a character arc which I liked though it is definitely not a big priority of the film. 

America Ferrera plays someone from the real world who has a real connection with Barbie and she is really good in the role. She feels like a real person and she seemed to really enjoy her role in the film and it feels like she adds something to the overall feel of the film. 

Issa Rae, Kate Mckinnon & Emma Mackey are great as other Barbies as are Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir & Ncuti Gatwa as other Kens. These are some great performers and they bring life to some of these smaller roles. 

Special shout out to Will Ferrell who really had me laughing throughout the film and maybe was the best pure comedic outlet for this film. 

Story

The story has way more weight and depth to it that you would expect from a film called Barbie. It looks at the human issues that women go through and the imposter syndrome that both Barbie and Ken experience in their different roles and it is mostly well handled. However, it does get a bit too much at times. I think the film could have benefited a bit more from being a bit more subtle at times instead of beating the message over our heads throughout the film. 

Script

The script is well written, this is actually a pretty funny film. It is pretty nuanced and adult humour which I very much enjoyed. It also does a great job with the drama and made me care about these characters and the plight that they were in. 

Style 

The film looks great, Barbie Land is incredibly vibrant and colourful and it does an effective job of contrasting with the scenes that take place in the real world. The musical numbers are all well done too and all the music in the film is well used and pretty catchy. I do think the film has a bit of a pacing problem, the film doesn't spend that much time in the real world and it just takes a bit to get going after a rather long first act. 

Overall

Overall, Barbie is a great film. It is a fun film that does a good job at sending a message and it is nice to see an original idea get the love and attention that this film got. 

Rating - 8/10