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Halo: Combat Evolved (2001)
What a blast!
Upon first seeing Halo I thought: "No thanks!". After playing: well, I was left begging for more! The action and adrenaline level of the game is spectacular.
Whether it be blowing up alien aircraft with an anti-vehicle rocket launcher just as it's about to dive bomb you or going man to man with a battle tank Halo delivers hardcore action on every variety of level. The most realistic thing about it though, has got to be the graphics: they are red hot with realism. Every piece of grass sways with the wind, every vehicle is destructable, every man can die: the physics are amazing in detail.
The best part has got to be commandeering an alien aircraft (unfortunately, this cannot b done until the three quarter mark) and wiping all signs of life from the air. The jeep, tank and alien reconnaisance vehicle are also very good. The game also has a vast array of weaponry ranging from assault rifles, shotguns, rocket launchers, plasma rifles, pistols, sniper rifles and even grenades, making for an explosive and spectacular storyline.
All in all Halo is the one reason for getting an X-Box. Well, it was my reason anyway. Also check out my review for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
Halo is definetely a ten out of ten.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
The film that towers above the rest
SPOILERS
I must admit that the Two Towers was my least favourite book of the trilogy which was why I was reluctant to go and watch the film when it came out at cinema. To be quite frank I was blown away by it! I felt mesmerised and bewildered by the fact that I enjoyed it more than the novel itself.
The battle at Amon Hen in the first film is belittled by the massive siege of Helm's Deep with an army of 10,000 Uruk-hai. The battle is spectacular and has brilliant special effects; each person is individually modelled and the battle just looks magnificent.
Also, a new addition to the trilogy is the interesting character of Smeagol who is completely computer generated. He also adds a light of humour to the otherwise dark, evil based film. We also see for the first time the Ents (giant tree-like creatures) who wreak destruction at Saruman's tower of Orthanc.
The best scene, hands down, is the battle of Helm's Deep; the scope is so frighteningly effective it makes you feel like you're standing on the wall yourself. It easily surpasses the first film and stays in my top ten best films.
The Two Towers is truly a movie masterpiece.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Utter Magic!
I first read the Lord of the Rings quite a while ago and thought it was excellent. When I heard the news of the film being made I was quite beside myself. I had always been curious what the film of one of the best literary epics would be like.
When I saw it I thought "You don't see this every day!". I was visually amazed at the scope and overview of the film. It sticks closely faithful with the book and is a valuable asset to the Lord of the Rings merchandise.
Director Peter Jackson has taken the magic from the books and wound the words into pictures. I had always admired Tolkien as a writer and I now admire Peter Jackson as a director. Elijah Wood plays the role of Frodo brilliantly also backed up by Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn and master actors Christopher Lee and Ian McKellen (as the roles of Saruman and Gandalf).
The battle scenes are magnificent and live up to very high standards of Tolkien lore. The best battle scene has to be the forests of Amon Hen where the Fellowship are pursued by the fearsome Uruk-hai. The special effects are absolutely awesome as well as the action. This film is very similar to the One Ring in that it has some of the very best addictive qualities.
Also check out my comments on the next installment The Two Towers.
The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
The best climax I've ever seen!!
After the disappointing Matrix Reloaded I thought about giving the las installment a try. Thank the lord I did! I think this is probably the best climax I've ever seen a movie end with.
The fight in Zion is spectacular. The APU robots are a very clever creation in my opinion and make a great fight against the army of sentinels. I found myself breathing very heavy when I saw the size of the sentinel army and I didn't want to get up from my seat; it was so attention grabbing.
Another equally fabulous scene is the final battle between Neo and Smith which has them flying in the air (the water shockwaves were extremely brilliant as well), crashing into the ground, fighting in a derelict building and in a massive crater. Naturally, as in the first two films, Hugo Weaving steals the film once again as his portrayal of Smith is great. Wouldn't you love to be an agent?!
The machine city is also another very hearthrobbing moment when hundreds of sentinels are hurled at Neo and Trinity. We also see what happens to the traitor Bane, who caused the EMP accident in the last film.
An excellent movie well worth seeing again and again. Also, a main character dies. You want to know who it is?.... Watch it yourself!
Overall, one of my best films and the best trilogy climax, EVER!
The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Ooops! What went wrong?
SPOILERS
I was genuinely anticipating the second installment of the Matrix trilogy. I was expecting, once again, to be exhilarated beyond my wildest dreams. But instead I was bored witless. I expected to see fights with Smith and Neo every twenty minutes or so, instead there was mostly talking all the way through the film.
I will grant it a few good things though. The special effects are still real-to-life, the gunplay is still good as well as the fight scenes. But there was just to much talk and not enough blasting. I was also expecting to see Niobe (played by Jada Pinkett Smith) in action, to which I was badly disappointed. The film is more about Neo and his quest to save Trinity from a dark and sticky end. Once again Hugo Weaving steals the show with his excellent performance as Smith.
Probably my best scenes are the fight with the thousands of Smiths and the Highway chase in which you get to see Morpheus fighting with an agent atop a huge truck and Trinity on a motorcycle speeding down rush hour lane.
Overall, disappointing.
The Matrix (1999)
Dodging bullets and kicking men with suits
When the Matrix was first released in 1999 I thought "Oh, another sci-fi spin off!" and generally rejected it as not my sort of film. Boy, how wrong was I?! I first borrowed it from someone and when I watched it I thought "Oh my god I've missed so much!". I was totally blown away by it!
From Trinity's slow-mo kick to Neo's bullet dodging I was exhilarated not because of the film's plot (even though the plot is very good) but because I realised where all the slo-mo and bullet time (especially from Max Payne) came from. The most interesting character (and I'm sure most people will agree with me) is Agent Smith; he is so very suave and cool. Don't you just love that black suit and tie!
The gunplay and special effects are also breathtakingly realistic, even the bullets have tremendous detail as they disturb the air. Overall, the Matrix is a great movie and remains one of my best. Also check out my comments on the other two films.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)
Smashing!
Before seeing this movie I wasn't really a Lara Croft nutter; now I am! The action in this movie is superb and so are the actors/actresses. Although the real highlight of the movie is Angelina. She pulls off the role of Lara Croft in a suave, sexy manner, not to mention doing a great impersonation of an English aristocrat (voice included). Chris Barrie is excellent as "Not so soft" butler Hillary. It also has some of the best choreography in a movie ever. Best scene is the massive Brahman statue which comes to life and is subsequently killed by a swinging log. The villain, Powell is also very good. This film will stay in my good books any day.
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
Borg Mania!
The second next generation movie is a total blast. One of the best star trek movies ever made, along with the best action in a star trek movie. All the actors/actresses perform top notch at their characters. The story is a little similar to "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" in that the Enterprise must go back in time to stop a borg threat which is carried out brilliantly. The special effects are also top notch and are wholly convincing. Outstanding performance from Alice Krige who plays the Borg Queen. Fantastic!
Enterprise: Broken Bow, Part 1 (2001)
"Take her out Ensign, slow and steady"
I suppose you could say I am a Trekkie (I love Next Generation, Voyager and Enterprise) and when I first bought Broken Bow on video (I missed it on TV) I was overwhelmed by every thing good about it, it rocks. Ever since my dad got me into Star Trek, I've been watching it every day ever since, which probably explains why I love Enterprise. Every actor and actress perform on the mark (my favourite character has to be "Trip" for his humour and sarcasm). Trust me if you're a Trekkie you'll love this!!!
Bad Taste (1987)
Gore, Gore and more Gore!
One of the most funny, sick and twisted romps I have ever, seen this film is truly wicked! It has everything you could wish for and more plus unlimited gore. The funniest bit is probably the first bit where the alien's brains are revealed by Barry's trusty .44. If you want to watch this film I concur with you although you may find it a little hard to find although if you do it is definetely one you'll love. One for Horror/Comedy fans all over.