dominic-holmes-halo Reviews

Game of Thrones: The Winds of Winter (2016) Season 6, Episode 10

Perfect

[10/10 · 28 June 2016]

I didn't review last week's episode because by the time I would've put out the review, it would've just been echoing what everyone else had said about the episode; perfection! And the same can be said about this crowning jewel of an episode, which was made for the real fans of the show.

There really wasn't anything that could've been improved. The R+L=J reveal wasn't just a scene of exposition, which was great. They don't spoon-feed it to you, but instead use their medium, visual storytelling, to the best of their ability, and it's masterful. I'm sure many "casuals" won't understand the impact or significance of the scene (and may even be a little confused), which is why I think this episode is really for the "real" fans who obsess over every little detail and have probably re-watched the series half a thousand times. I probably would've liked to have seen more because I imagined there would be scenes of Ned leaving the tower and returning to Winterfell with baby Jon, but those were just my expectations.

The opening was masterful; from the music to the editing to the visual effects. Even throughout the episode, the music, the editing and all technical aspects were on full display and used perfectly. It also sets up an exciting next season, but don't get me wrong, this season was great on its own. No, it was f*cking amazing, and I'm not just saying this based off of the hype of these last two episodes alone. I've been careful not to let that cloud my judgement.

Overrall, I just have to give this episode a 10/10. Although I think this season is definitely better than last year's, even though I thought season 5 was still great as opposed to many, I'm still not sure how this season ranks with seasons 1-4.

I'm going to give this season a 9.4. What an amazing, exciting and touching season!

Game of Thrones: No One (2016) Season 6, Episode 8

Do people want to hate this episode?

[10/10 · 15 June 2016]

It may be strange seeing a positive review for this episode, considering that the first reviews you'll see are incredibly negative and in my opinion, undeservedly so. This episode has great dialogue, funny interactions and steady plot development and closure for the Blackfish's story, defending his home to his dying breath.

Firstly, Arya's story-line has gotten a lot of backlash. Why? Because people can't make any leaps in logic and just enjoy the show. I really get the vibe that people like hating on it as it seems everything they see as a negative could've easily been explained away if they just stopped to think about it. Okay, so she got stabbed. She made a mistake and apparently, that's out of character for her because apparently she's now a Mary Sue and can't make mistakes. Really?! She didn't know they were after her, which is evident when she asks Jaqen if he sent the Waif to kill her, so why should she be on high alert. We don't know how deep the stab wounds were as it was a small knife the Waif used, and I'm not a medical professional, but for plot's sake I can accept that it can be stitched up. But some may ask: "How come an assassin failed to make any significant wounds?". Well, because she clearly hated Arya and wanted to make her suffer instead of killing her instantly.

After Arya is stitched up, we get a touching scene between her and Crane, reminding us that there's still some warmth left in her and she's not a full-blown murdering psychopath yet. Sadly, Lady Crane later dies in brutal fashion and Arya, who has been moderately stitched up & had time to recover, jumps out the window using her assassin skills. Granted, she's probably having an adrenaline rush as she's running for her life and therefore: briefly forgotten about her wounds until she falls down the stairs.

Unfortunately, we don't get to see the fight, but it makes sense because there was no way Arya could fight her in daylight. I like the look of admiration on Jaqen's face as he watches her go, and some may ask why he didn't kill her. To those people, I say you haven't been paying attention. Many times did Jaqen go on about a face being added to the Hall, one way or another. He just didn't care who it was, so he lets her go.

By the way, he didn't want her dead because she betrayed the Faceless Men's ways again, he wanted her dead because she didn't kill the woman for his God, so she was a substitute for Crane's death, but the Waif took Arya's place after all. This story-line may have gone on for a bit too long, but it wasn't pointless because now Arya can actually fight and she actually earned it. That's like saying Robb's story was pointless because he died before accomplishing anything.

This episode isn't perfect, but I gave it a 10 because A: I liked it and B: to combat the overly-harsh low scores the episode is getting for unjust reasons. Quick flaws with the episode: Tyrion's interactions with Grey Worm and Missandei started off a bit repetitive, although it paid off in the end, and Dany's entrance could've been handled better. Also, I would've liked to have seen the Blackfish go with Brienne, but I understand why he didn't, though I would've liked to have seen him die in a blaze of glory as well as the Waif dying a very gory death.

I would give this episode an 8.5/10 if it weren't for the overly harsh reviews.

Game of Thrones: The Broken Man (2016) Season 6, Episode 7

A great episode that isn't just setup for the final three

[10/10 · 6 June 2016]

Right from the beginning of the episode, you could tell this was going to be a special one and oh boy, did it deliver! This season really is amazing (thus far)and this episode is probably the second best, right behind "The Door".

It really tries new things and kind of breaks the fold when it comes to the structure of a Thrones episode as it really is focused on one character, who has returned after 2 years of being presumably dead, and his arc throughout the episode; trying to adjust to a life without murder, but then ultimately being sucked back into that world in a tragic ending. We get a surprise guest appearance from Ian McShane who, of course, gives a fantastic performance and really makes you care for his character in just mere minutes of screen time, making the unfortunate twist at the end of the episode all the more sadder.

Of course, there are other surprises and plot advances, which only bolster the episode, but I'd just like to mention the Riverrun plot line, which featured a great scene between Jaime and the Blackfish, and the return of the beloved Bronn. It's great to see Jaime becoming the man Tywin wanted him to be and getting his family and their house back together ever since his daughter died in his arms back in Season 5, which has clearly changed him, for better or worse.

Unfortunately, Tyrion is absent for a second episode in a row, which is fine because if there's no story to tell, then just checking up on him would purely be filler, but I always miss him and Varys's banter.

The only flaw with this episode is what it doesn't have, but it doesn't really need it either. Therefore: I'm going to give this episode a 9.7/10.

Game of Thrones: Blood of My Blood (2016) Season 6, Episode 6

An odd and quite small episode of Game of Thrones

[10/10 · 2 June 2016]

For a while, I was thinking of not reviewing this episode at all since there's nothing really mind-blowing about it, and upon first watching "Blood of My Blood", I was rather disappointed with the episode, which is what I expected, coming off of last week's near-perfect episode. However, when I sat down with my parents and watched it for a second time, I realised that this episode is much better than I remembered as it executes just about everything it does flawlessly and it really is a perfect example of how Game of Thrones is great at drama as well as violence and fantasy.

It dials back on the momentum that previous episodes had and lets its story lines take their time, making it a rather small & self-contained episode that mainly comprises of just three major story lines; Arya's, King's Landing's and Sam's. Also, it perfectly meshes humour & tension with Sam's story-line whilst giving us a few surprises with the King's Landing plot and it sets up an exciting next episode for Arya. We get surprise returns from three characters that have been absent from the show for years, and the episode ends on a spectacular note, reminding us why this show is so special.

Overrall, this episode is a neat little gem and while it won't be remembered as one of Thrones' greats, it's still a fantastic episode that effortlessly blends fantasy and drama, whilst also balancing a few twists & turns with setup that makes me eager for the next episode.

My score for the episode: 9.6/10.

Game of Thrones: The Door (2016) Season 6, Episode 5

Shocking, unexpected and very emotional

[10/10 · 22 May 2016]

I didn't review last week's episode because, although it was a good episode, not much really happened that was worth talking about, apart from the spectacular ending and the heart-breaking death of Osha. I would've scored last week's episode a 9/10, but this week's episode really blew me away and it wasn't at all what I expected, which is f*cking great for a show in its sixth season.

The episode begins by reuniting Sansa and Littlefinger, and, as we guessed, she was super-p*ssed at him. In terms of moving the story forward, Littlefinger does speak of Brynden Tully and what he says pretty much confirms that the show is going to do the Siege of Riverrun storyline. From the synopsis of Episode 7, it looks like that's when the storyline will play out, which is much later than I thought it would.

Then we get the political scheming with Jon and Sansa & co. that we love about GoT, and I liked this scene because it reassures us that Jon hasn't forgotten about the White Walkers and from a logical standpoint, he's only going after the Boltons because they are a viable threat to him and Sansa. From the looks of it, I guess their storyline will be rallying Northern houses to their side in order to fight the Boltons #BastardBowlGetHyped. Then Jon & co. all leave Castle Black, but Sansa and Brienne part ways, which is sad to see because I wanted to see her and Sansa's relationship develop a bit more and what's sadder to see is saying goodbye to Tarthbane. I'm sure that we will see them together again, assuming (praying) that none of them die this season, though I'm predicting that Tormund will be killed off towards the end of the season.

We get a nice & mysterious scene with Tyrion and Varys that is brimming with great writing as we have Varys, who hates magic, staying in character and trash-talking Melisandre 2.0, but she really does prove that she means business as she calls back to a little scene way back in Season 3 where Varys reveals to Tyrion the story behind his castration, and offers to reveal what voice came from the fire, which I'm now anxious to know about. I have no idea where Tyrion, Varys and her storyline is going, but I can't wait to find out.

Moving on to Arya, she gets a lot more screen time this episode since her absence last week. Although her storyline is so separate from the "most" important ones, I enjoyed her scenes this week like I did with her scenes in Episode 3. Her segment was maybe a bit overlong with the majority of it being her watching a play, which depicts the events of Season 1 in a "comedic" style. We'll have to wait and see if this new target for Arya will lead to any big fallout for her storyline or action-packed conclusion, but I just hope that somehow it gets her on track back to Westeros.

The Ironborn storyline started straight-off-the-bat with the Kingsmoot, which took me aback as it was so soon in the episode. I'm glad Theon is finally standing up for himself and regaining his former strength as he stands up for his sister, but he is bogged down by Euron's sudden entrance & ultimate burns towards his two nephews. I was wondering when Euron would show up since he murdered Balon back in Episode 2, and his return really moves the plot along as he is crowned King leading to Theon and Asha fleeing with their ships to Meereen?

When it comes to emotional scenes, Daenerys's story this episode surprised me. I loved seeing Jorah confessing his love for her and saying, yet again, although on better terms: goodbye. I was really impressed with Emilia Clarke's acting in this scene, not that she's usually bad, but lately it's been pretty one-note. Not only that, but Jorah is such a sad character that seeing them part ways again really got to me. Some may say "Really?!She's sending him away, again?!", but I'm just glad he's not going to die of greyscale as I'm pretty sure he's going to find a cure.

Onto the big shocker of the episode: Bran's storyline, but more specifically: Hodor. There was some cool stuff with the Children of the Forest and the revelation that they created the White Walkers, but that ending, man. That ending was intense, exciting, but most of all: heart- wrenching. Seeing the Three-Eyed Raven go was sad because I'm a fan of Max von Sydow and I would've liked to have seen him get more screen time. But the big shocker was really......

Ghost getting killed.

Nah, just kidding, though that was sad. It was the story behind Hodor and why he says "Hodor" that was the most powerful scene of not only this episode, but the season thus far. Everything from the music and the editing made this scene just perfect and equally tragic. It was tear- inducing to see Hodor go, but also the truth behind why he says "Hodor" was also very emotional. The ending to this episode was just perfect because: it was something I didn't know I wanted, it was so unexpected and odd (in a good way), it was exciting and intense, it was a massive revelation and it was incredibly powerful, which is really strange.

In conclusion, this season is going very quickly and this episode really doesn't waste much time, which can be said about the whole season so far. I really had no gripes over this episode and the fact that this episode went above and beyond what I was expecting in such a great way makes this episode a definite 10/10.

Game of Thrones: Oathbreaker (2016) Season 6, Episode 3

Intrigue and mystery...

[9/10 · 9 May 2016]

This episode has the unfortunate position of following up last week's powerhouse episode, so anything this episode does should be quite underwhelming. Well, that isn't the case with this episode as it delivers on everything that makes Thrones so great: witty dialogue, bloody action, shocking turns of events and mysterious story lines.

In terms of witty dialogue, there's a well-paced scene between Varys and the Harpy prostitute, preceding an excellent and down-right quotable scene between Tyrion and Missandei and Grey Worm, which is just Tyrion at his best. I really hope this season continues to give us these kinds of scenes with Tyrion as they were sorely lacking last season because of Tyrion's depressed and bleak attitude towards life, and they were also part of what made Season 2 so good. At the start of the episode, we get a surprisingly humorous exchange between Jon and Tormund & Edd, which is right after Jon is found out to be alive. This was really needed and worked really well as it provided some comic relief that kind of grounded the scene. Also, I don't think Jon should be seen as a godly character since a crucial part of his character is that he is the shameful bastard of Ned Stark, which really humanises his character.

Speaking of Ned Stark, we get the awesome and bloody action that Game of Thrones is known for as we get an almost Star Wars-like sword fight between Ned & his men and a dual-wielding Arthur Dayne who takes on all of them like a boss. I was just in awe of how amazing this sequence was that I didn't mind (too much) that the flashback ended before Ned went into the tower. But don't get me wrong, that was INCREDIBLY frustrating! Damn Three-Eyed Raven is such a cock-block. Although I'm pretty certain I and nearly everyone else knows what he's going to find in that tower, I still can't wait. Looks like we'll have to wait until episode 5 to find out the truth, which is a good thing because I don't think the show was ready yet in this episode to show the R+L=J reveal to casual viewers. I think there's just a bit of groundwork to cover to properly set that up. I do wonder how non-book readers or people that just watch it casually and don't do any external research on the show will think of this flashback. Either way, for me, this scene was great and still left on a mysterious and intriguing note. That scream Ned heard from the tower gave me chills! And it definitely sounded like a woman giving birth...

There is other good stuff such as Jaime and Cersei teaming up and Arya's training finally being concluded. I mean, did I just hear Pycelle fart when he saw the Mountain? I also like the Ramsay & Rickon scene, though I knew it was coming, I didn't expect them to kill off Shaggy Dog. The ending scene is definitely setting up some awesome future episodes with Jon Snow leaving the Night's Watch because he did technically die.

Overrall, this episode is half payoff/conclusion to some story lines (e.g. the identity of the Harpy's masters, the Night's Watch traitors, Arya's training, Jon's time at the Watch) and half-setup for future episodes, which gets me excited for what's to come. However, this episode also delivers on many of the aspects that make Thrones great. The only thing that stops this episode from being a 10/10 is that there are no mind-blowing or overly shocking moments, but this episode definitely gets a 9/10 from me.

Game of Thrones: Home (2016) Season 6, Episode 2

What is dead may never die...

[10/10 · 1 May 2016]

The premiere episode to Season 6 gave us a taste of the craziness of this season, but oh boy, this episode went all out! This is definitely the best episode since Hardhome, and well, arguably better than most of Season 5. They said the first two episodes were going to be strong, but this episode is absolutely amazing, if not perfect. Compared to how "slow" the last season was (which isn't a bad thing), this season is going full-throttle, in terms of fast-pacing.

Firstly, the episode starts off with Bran, and it was good to see him again. There's no more crawling around in the snow this season looking for the Three-Eyed Raven as, after being absent from the entirety of Season 5, Bran Stark is walking and back in Winterfell (kind of). Well, he's actually having a vision as part of his training with the Three- Eyed Raven, and it's an interesting flashback that definitely sets up R+L=J. It was really strange seeing a young Ned Stark and well, a happy Stark family, but it was a good way to start the episode, although it is the only appearance of Bran in this episode.

Then the action really gets going as the Night's Watch finally bash down the door where Davos and co. are defending Jon's body, but (thank God) they are stopped by the Wildlings and taken to the cells. I really didn't expect them to start with this since I thought it would be a great way to end an episode, but it just shows how fast this season is going, much like Season 4 did. Also, it was f*cking awesome to see Wun Wun just destroy one the traitorous black brothers.

It then gets to King's Landing where we spent a strangely short amount of time last episode. It starts off with the Mountain literally smashing someone's head in for joking about Cersei's walk of shame, so I guess Cersei is pulling no punches when it comes to dealing with people that insult/annoy her, which is good to see after her humiliation at the end of last season. We then finally get some answers that were left hanging at the end of last season, revolving around Tommen. I was also quite impressed with his acting in this episode as we have quite a touching scene with him and Cersei, after quite an intense scene with Jaime and the High Sparrow.

Speaking of this season going quickly, Ramsay straight-up murders Roose right in front of Harald Karstark and their maester before feeding Lady Walda and her baby to his hounds. This whole sequence was incredibly dark and unexpected, especially this early in the season, but it was built up to and made much more sense than Doran and Trystane's death, last episode. Not saying that the Martells' death was bad, but their deaths really felt like a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing, rather than a pay-off. It was a shame to see Roose's character go out like this as he's such an evil and interesting character, but cunning, unlike Ramsay, who's psychotic and terrifying as ever, in this episode.

We then get to Meereen, where Tyrion, probably under the influence of alcohol, unchains the two dragons and, thankfully, does not get burned alive like the trailer suggests. It definitely hints at the Tyrion Targaryen theory as the dragons seem to have a bond with him. This scene was surprisingly intense as I really wasn't sure if Tyrion was going to make it out of it because of the unexpected nature of the scene I mentioned in the above paragraph, but luckily he did and ended the scene with a funny little quip to Varys.

We also get a quick little Arya scene, which ends with her going back to the temple to potentially get her eye-sight back and start assassinating people...please? This scene was nice and short and didn't drag on like her scenes did in Season 5, which is good.

We also see the death of Balon Greyjoy at the hands of his younger brother. This should've happened back in Season 3 or 4, considering when it happened in the books, but it still works here, even though Balon has been absent since Season 3. I also liked how it cut to this scene after Sansa and Theon's touching farewell, where Theon says he wants to go home, and Sansa reveals her plans to go to Castle Black, where Jon is, but we all know Jon's dead, so that won't turn out great.

Oh, wait! Yes, after a year of speculating and scavenging through interviews to find out the fate of Jon Snow, we finally know the answer. This scene was great in that it built up tension during the ritual that Melisandre was doing and when she seemingly failed to bring Jon back, I started to think they were going to drag the whole "Jon Snow is dead" thing out for another episode. The characters all lose hope too and start to leave. Then BAM! His eyes open. Credits roll...

Bravo, Dan & Dave. You lied to us for a whole goddamn year, and, although I was pretty sure he was going to come back, it made it no less jaw-dropping-ly awesome when it did happen. This episode is definitely one of the greats and while it's not on par with Hardhome or Rains of Castamere, it damn comes close. I can't really fault this episode other than that I wish Roose had gone out in a more respectable or spectacular way than how he did, but this is Game of Thrones after all, and I think this episode is reminding us of how unexpected and shocking this show still is. It's a definite 10/10 from me. The internet is going to freak out over this episode!

Halo 5: Guardians (2015 Video Game)

A mixed campaign with a great multiplayer

[9/10 · 1 November 2015]

Halo 5: Guardians is the latest instalment in the Halo franchise and a direct sequel to Halo 4. It sees Master Chief go rogue for reasons I won't spoil here and then get hunted by Spartan Locke, sent by the UNSC. Coming out three years after Halo 4 and a great marketing campaign, promising a rivalry/battle between Chief and Locke and hinting at an antagonistic Chief, does Halo 5 deliver?

First off, I have to put it out there that I am a huge fan of the Halo series and that is for its campaigns more so than the multiplayer. I will always complete the story before moving onto the multiplayer because I am invested in the character of the Master Chief and always excited to see where his character will go or how he will develop emotionally, especially after a rather sad ending to Halo 4.I actually really like Halo 4 contrary to other people's opinions because although the multiplayer had clear, undeniable issues, the campaign was amazing, technically and story-wise.It was almost like a character study of Chief and Cortana as it put them at the forefront so I was hoping for Halo 5 to continue this in its story.

Unfortunately, whilst Halo 5's campaign is beautiful, graphically at a constant 60fps, and has better level design and is probably more fun than Halo 4, its story is a real weakness which dampens an otherwise perfect Halo game. You may be wondering why this is 'unfortunate' since it still sounds pretty great, but if you were hoping for a great story and further development for the Master Chief,you may be disappointed.

The cutscenes, while stunning and impressive to behold, are too short and feel unfinished as they suddenly fade to black, and sometimes it felt like some cutscenes were removed. For example, you never see Locke's team get assigned to tracking down the Master Chief and it is just thrust upon you all-of-a-sudden. The game tries to add a new element which just feels out of place in a Halo game as you go up to people and press 'x' to talk as if it's an RPG game like Skyrim. The problem is this element never goes anywhere and just feels like they were too lazy to make it a cutscene.

The story also feels rushed and is frustrating in the way that it has so much more potential that it never fulfills, but I'm not going to talk about what it should've been, I'll talk about what's there and the problems with it. Firstly, Chief's reasons for going rogue just don't feel near sufficient or important enough to truly get invested in his story and the way he goes rogue is just so anti-climactic and offhandedly done. Moreover, you only play as Chief for three missions out of the 15 missions in the campaign so obviously there's not much time there for proper development of his character.

The rest of the story is with the dutiful, but dull Spartan Locke who, with his team, hunts down the Chief. It starts out that way, but I won't spoil it so all I'll say is the ads and the marketing campaign lied to you. Hell, even the front cover lies to you as this game is not really Chief vs. Locke. Team Osiris, while more interesting than Blue Team in this game, are never fleshed out and have no emotional ties to their mission to hunt down the Chief as they see it as "just another target" as Lock puts it so how are we supposed to care whether they find the Chief or not and root for them. I won't spoil any returning characters in case you don't follow the trailers and advertisements, but it was good to see them, albeit briefly.

However, if you don't care for the Halo story and don't bother with cutscenes there is still lots of fun to be had in the gameplay. The level design is amazing with beautiful scenery and HD graphics, especially on the plant Sanghelios which features great towering stone- statues of Elites that are nothing if not impressive. You also fight a Kraken...enough said. There is not a dull mission and there are a lot of great standout moments in the gameplay which you just have to stop to take in. Although a boss fight with a certain character is repeated quite a bit it doesn't detract much from the fun of it. Also, your teammates do revive you so if you die it's not a definite respawn unless your teammates are all dead and they fail trying to get to yo, which can be frustrating.

I haven't got much to say about the multiplayer, but I had lots of fun on it and it is much better and more balanced than Halo 4, though I've been playing Arena more than Warzone because I just prefer it, but that's just my opinion. I've heard Halo fans who've been playing since 2004 when Halo 2 came out and are saying this is the best Halo multiplayer since then, which must be a good thing.

In conclusion, if you like Halo, this is a must-buy because although the campaign has a weak story, it has some standout moments such as an awesome hand to hand fight between Chief and Locke, but there is also lots of fun and memories to be made in the gameplay. Also, the multiplayer is great which just shows Halo is back baby! If you are not a Halo fan, you will not care about the weak story and you will find lots of enjoyment in the gameplay as well as its impressive graphics and 60fps fluidity so I'd say this is definitely a game worth checking out.

Oh, and the soundtrack is amazing!

Spectre (I) (2015)

So almost perfect

[8/10 · 30 October 2015]

'Spectre' is the latest instalment in the Bond franchise and the Craig era, but it is also the most expensive of the entire series, costing just over 300 million dollars to produce.Having also come out after this year's Mission Impossible movie, which proved to be very successful, both critically and financially, Daniel Craig's 007 will have to win out against Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt to remain the premium go-to "spy" franchise. After a 3 year wait following the well-received Skyfall and a slew of merchandising and advertising, this year's Bond has a lot of expectations to live up to. With a sky-high budget, a stellar cast, very high expectations and a 50 year-old Monica Belluci, does "Spectre" succeed as a Bond movie and as a movie on its own?

The short answer is yes...almost.

While the first two acts of the movie are excellent, the third one really lets it down and leaves the audience on a down-note.

The first act features a great and intense opening scene with a great, long tracking shot of Bond walking through a festival, up a building and along the rooftops. It also has some witty banter between Bond and various characters. The movie actually has a lot of sharp dialogue, which remains consistent throughout with some laugh-out loud lines.The cinematography is great, the scenes are well-paced and maintain a level of interest and intrigue.Monica Belluci, however, features briefly as a cameo, sort of. Probably to attract more viewers and gain some traction for having the oldest Bond woman yet, but damn she is looking fine for her age.

The second act builds on the first act with even bigger and better action set pieces and one amazing fist fight on a train between Craig and Bautista. It also introduces us to Lea Seydoux's character who is actually a superior Bond girl to previous Craig films, although Vesper Lynn remains the best.The film links back to previous Craig movies which I also found interesting.

Unfortunately, the movie keeps going from where it probably should've ended. The third act takes place in London and then the movie starts to drag and feels like it's just going through the motions because it adds nothing to the story, but only to the runtime of the movie.The cinematography is quite poor as well in this act and the special effects quality dips massively as if they ran out of budget for this act. It felt almost like an average BBC production, which is not a good thing. There are also some unexplained character choices and a cheesy conclusion to the set piece.The very last scene returns to the good dialogue and cracking banter of the first two acts, but is dampened by the underwhelming action sequence that preceded it.

In conclusion, "Spectre" is a good movie with flaws, but it is better as a Bond movie. It could've topped Skyfall as my second favourite Bond film right after Casino Royale, but whereas Skyfall remains consistent throughout, Specte fails in it final act, which in turn forces it to become my third favourite Craig Bond film before the mess that was Quantum of Solace.

Beware the movie features some quite graphic/disturbing violence for a 12A/PG-13, depending on what side of the pond you're on. Especially, a torture scene, which is not on the same level of brutality as Casino Royale, but is very effective at making you want to look away.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

I so wanted to love this movie but...

[1/10 · 14 November 2014]

After watching this movie I wanted to give this movie a 1 star rating but it does have its merits.

The Pros: - Good visual effects - Good production design - The relationship between 'Groot' and 'Rocket' is amusing - Possibly iconic characters - Good ideas and well-established universe which makes me excited for, hopefully, better sequels. - Great soundtrack!

The Cons: - I'm sorry but this film was nowhere near as funny as I thought it would be which is a shame because I felt like I was forcing myself to what I guess you could call a laugh but more of a 'tsss' noise. - Terribly fast-paced. - Visually unpleasing at some points like for example at the beginning of the movie where Star Lord's mum dies (which by the way is one of the worst scenes in the movie as it doesn't set the tone of the movie at all and it's poorly executed in everyway). - Really bad acting from Bautista and Saldana as Drax and Gamora which was really disappointing as they failed to deliver any funny lines. - Boring action and final battle. - Bland villain - Some bad make-up jobs - Stupid and goofy characters (not talking about main characters) - Rocket and Groot were nowhere near as good as they could have been

I don't recommend this watch but everyone else seems to think this movie is amazing and so does IMDb so maybe you should give it a try.