GOTHAM - Season One Review

As the third addition to the current evergrowing DC Comics television line up, Gotham has certainly lived up to it's titular city's namesake - often corrupt with filth, but regularly saved by (several) dark knights in not-so-shining armour. Like the world's inhabitants, the writers of this FOX series seem to be tiptoeing in both the good and bad of artistic endeavours, and it's unclear as to how the show will progress come Season Two.

The greatest strength of the series has, and most likely will remain to be, the mob subplots. Seeing Don Falcone and Sal Maroni battle it out on the small screen is something we had never seen before in major non-comic Batman media, and it was a refreshing breather from all the forced supervillain escapades (more on that later). Most notably, Robin Lord Taylor has breathed new life into the Penguin; a slimy yet whiny sadist who is willing to do anything to get to the top of the criminal underworld, and is by far the standout of the show. Don't be surprised if you often find yourself wishing there were more scenes with this bird of prey. 

The GCPD also rightfully has a large amount of screentime, and it's clear the writers love exploring the corruption within this false beacon of hope. Ben McKenzie plays a solid Det. Jim Gordon; he's far too angelic compared to the more realistic Jim we know from Batman: Year One, but as a main protagonist, we do see the struggles he goes through as he attempts to clean up the mess his fellow officers have made, and when he reaches his breaking point, it's oh so satisfying to see him both verbally and physically kick ass. It also goes without saying Donal Logue was a fantastic casting choice for the wise cracking, no bullshitting Harvey Bullock, who is a near bang on depiction of his Batman: The Animated Series and comic book iterations. Most of the show's best humour comes from him, and he's an excellent foil to Gordon's white knight perception of policing. 

Going up against this bromance is the surprisingly heartfelt performances from David Mazouz and Sean Pertwee as a young Bruce Wayne and Alfred Pennyworth. The former brings a lot of humanity to the role, and although his progression from mourning orphan to full on brooding criminal investigator is unevenly paced, he's a very likeable kid who was able to pull off this mature role pretty well, considering the minimal amount of exploration Bruce's childhood has had in mainstream media. Pertwee is also a great choice for Alfred, with the character's military history often coming into play in the narrative, and his gruff English accent adding all the more witty charm to his performance. Considering that the first scene of the show depicted the Wayne's iconic death (excellently shot and edited by the way), these two had a lot of chemistry to pull off to convince us they could become a family, and they didn't disappoint - you may find yourself reaching for your Bat-Tissues every couple of scenes with them.

Ultimately, the show seems to work best when it's allowed to be subtle and able to fully explore the characters it depicts. Selina Kyle initially exerts far too many unsubtle feline mannerisms (going so far as to actually call herself Cat - really?), but over the course of the season, she is able to build a genuine emotional connection with Bruce and there's some excellent foreshadowing to their future involvement with crime. Sadly, the show is often far too goofy to stomach.

That is not to say I dislike silly superhero escapades - on the contrary, I can't get enough of them. However, the ratio in Gotham is considerably unbalanced, and often unintentionally leads to laugh out loud moments. Indeed, the more 'out there' concepts of the Batman mythos such as a man who kills people with weather balloons and another who drags a fridge down the street in a screaming Venom rage are greatly appreciated, but they tend to be depicted too over-the-top to actually be taken seriously; the frequent exaggerated performances of side characters do not aid this in the slightest, looking at you Barbara. 

It's this that brings the show down a fair amount, in addition to forcing big villain names for the sakes of maintaining viewership. These aren't necessarily always bad, as Jonathan Crane Sr.'s origin episodes showed us, but these anecdotes nearly never play into the main story, which even then is loosely tied together by minor subplots. There was just too much going on, and even by the season's finale there were far too many questions left unanswered. You'll regularly scratch your head at how set pieces are introduced then quickly revoked later in the season, or just not addressed at all.

Perhaps most frustrating is that character development is incredibly sudden, often with little prior warning and, more annoyingly, intentionally fulfilling the needs the narrative structure. This is particularly the case for Edward Nygma and Barbara Kean, who were reduced to a lovestruck puppy and traumatised (and incredibly pestering) self-loather respectively. Similarly, Fish Mooney becomes slowly reduced to simply filling in airtime come the second half of the season, with an initially entertaining performance by Jada Pinkett-Smith degrading into an overconfident heterochromian who's only purpose is to complete Penguin's character arc.

In fact, it's clear to see that the show was forced to take a sudden turn after it was granted extra episodes. Villain rating traps were used to draw in mainstream Batman fans (looking at you 'Jerome'), several key characters such as Renee Montoya and the Mayor are written off the show, and CGI suddenly made it's way into the action. FOX seem to have been puppeteering the writers to meet the demands of the everyday audience, and thus the restriction on artistic freedom is heavily present in later episodes of the season. Not to say the second half of the series is wholly without merit (The Ogre for example turned out to be a surprisingly refreshing original villain); the show just seemed to need to conform to network standards moreso in those episodes. 

However, the show can be smart with it's audience, and the writers really do shine when they get to play with their authentic Batman toys. There's blink-and-you'll-miss-it references to classic tales such as The Long Halloween, The Killing Joke, and the aforementioned Year One, not to mention the stellar amount of C list characters the series has included, with Zsasz and Leslie Thompkins having pretty memorable roles. It's a shame then that this is often tossed aside for the sake of forced romances (four to be precise), dragged out 'dramatic' tension and goofy character mannersims. 

In conclusion, Gotham is far from becoming a rival to The Flash's outstanding first run, but is also still above the trainwreck of Arrow's third season. Season One is can be best summarised as a board of executives attempt to please what they think mainstream viewers want in a Batman origin anthology, when they should instead be writing a Gotham Central adaptation. Needless to say, the story arcs of this first series are undoubtedly rushed, and we can only hope that the show will see better days when the next chapter continues these characters struggles in the one city that never truly sleeps. 

Score: 6/10

Batman: Assault on Arkham Review

The Suicide Squad gets their small screen debut in this animated Arkhamverse thriller.

With the imminent release of Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham franchise coming sometime next year, Warner Bros. decided to keep fans occupied with Batman: Assault on Arkham, the series' first venture into feature length film. Don't let the title fool you though; this animated heist flick may be based in the Arkhamverse, but follows the story of the Suicide Squad, a band of supervillains contracted by the government to carry out deadly missions in order to lessen their prison sentences. 

The team, consisting of Deadshot, Harley Quinn, King Shark, Captain Boomerang, Killer Frost and Black Spider, are tasked with breaking into Arkham Asylum in order to retrieve a hard drive from The Riddler, who has stolen top secret information about the Squad and is threatening to leak it online. Things aren't going to be easy though, as the Batman is alerted of the break in, and the team must avoid being caught, lest they face certain death from their leader, Amanda Waller. To make matters worse, the Joker breaks free and plans to detonate a bomb that will kill half of Gotham, meaning the Dark Knight has his hands full, and the Squad's loyalties are put to the test. 

As is typical of a Suicide Squad story, there's danger, deception and certain death at every corner, and there are plenty of twists and turns to keep the plot interesting. The story itself becomes very complex further down the line, with multiple subplots coming into play, but all thankfully tying together nicely for the film's climax. There's rarely a dull moment, as the action sequences showcase the film's stellar animation and are a joy to watch, not to mention it was great to see slightly more adult violence in 2D animation, but done in such a manner that it isn't over the top or too grotesque. Humour is also used effectively throughout, making the film highly enjoyable to watch. The jokes hit bullseye the majority of the time, and some moments are so unexpected that they instantly make you laugh out loud. Despite featuring very little, the film successfully uses both Batman and the Joker in bitesize doses, stealing the show each time one is on screen, satisfying die-hard fans of the two nemeses whilst also keeping the main focus on 'Task Force X'. Ultimately though, the film's focus on the character interactions of the Squad is it's highlight, with sharp dialogue and a constant uncertainty of how trustworthy the team-mates are that makes the characters much more interesting to watch interact with one another. 

It's a shame then, that the film predominantly focuses on just Deadshot and Harley Quinn rather than each team member individually; though the latter's portrayal by Hynden Walch is the surprise stand-out performance of the film (although her over-the-top characterisation feels out of tune with the Clown Princess of Crime's usual mannerisms), Deadshot is portrayed too sympathetically in an attempt to make a personal connection to the audience, contrasting to his over-confident personality we see in the Batman: Arkham games and other media. Though this depiction is true to the character's comic backstory, the film overuses this trait to make him seem a more empathetic protagonist to the viewer, but ultimately makes the character seem a tad cliché. Black Spider and Killer Frost get the short end of the stick, having the least amount of screen time, with Frost in particular having a disappointing portrayal in which she's forcibly written as a love interest for King Shark. 

Both characters have their moments though, and nevertheless the film's outstanding voice work manages to give each individual so much personality, even when the script restricts them. Veteran voice actors Kevin Conroy (Batman: Arkham series), Troy Baker (The Last of Us), John DiMaggio (Futurama) and Jennifer Hale (Mass Effect) amongst many more lend their talents to the film, achieving pure perfection with each line delivery and giving each character a memorable portrayal through just their vocal chords. The only let down is CCH Pounder as Squad leader Amanda Waller, who although performs fantastically as always as the no-nonsense government official, is given very little to do throughout the film and is written too naively in the third act to be taken seriously. 

Perhaps the biggest flaw in the film is that many elements felt out of place. Though the majority of the adult content is done effectively and in-character (we never thought we'd see the day where the Joker proclaims, "I'm here bitches!" and still be funny), there was a large amount of sexual content that was either deliberate fan service or forcefully written-in events that served to tie the film in to New 52 lore. Though the latter plot device comes into better light as the film progresses, the fan service depicts the female Squad members as sex pests, and although modern DC comics are no stranger to exploring sexual themes, these elements felt like they were put in the film "just because" and didn't serve to drive the plot forward. 

In addition, having the film based in Rocksteady's Arkhamverse feels extremely out of place. The Tarantino-inspired violence and comedy completely juxtaposes to the gothic and mature setting of the video games, making you wonder at times why the film-makers even bothered to make the film canon in Arkhamverse lore in the first place.  Of course the simple answer to that question is brand recognition, in an attempts to get more sales from avid video game fans, and it's a pity that Warner Bros. felt a Suicide Squad film wouldn't get mainstream attention of its own accord. 

However, the film takes many liberties in remaining faithful to Rocksteady's depiction of the Dark Knight, having many easter eggs scattered throughout for keen-eyed Arkham fans to spot, and certain character interactions that hint to this universe's rich history as a whole. In particular, many of Batman: Arkham Asylum's set pieces are beautifully recreated for the film, and although these picturesque backgrounds contrast to the film's main art style, they still stand out as one of the film's highlights, and make it worth a second viewing to see what you missed out first time around. 

Overall, Batman: Assault on Arkham stands out as one of DC's best direct-to-DVD line-up, relying upon it's thrilling action sequences and vibrant character dynamics to carry it forward. Having the villains take centre stage allows for a refreshing viewing experience, and will certainly make you want to see more of the Suicide Squad as soon as possible. But despite having stand out moments of dark comedy and character interactions, many elements feel too forced or clichéd in order to appeal to a wider audience, which takes away some enjoyment of the film. As an experimental adult animated flick though, it's definitely worth a shot. Yahtzee!

Score: 7/10

Batman Arkham Origins: Cold, Cold Heart DLC Review

Is the final DLC for Batman: Arkham Origins a frozen delight or another Schwarzenegger?

 

 

Revenge is a dish best served cold, and Warner Bros. Games Montreal certainly stepped up to the plate with this final DLC for their take on Rocksteady's Arkham franchise.  And whom better to dive into the 'Origins' of than Mr. Freeze, a Batman rogue who rose to fame after his appearance in the iconic animated series in the early 90s.

 

In fact, it's hard not to see the developers' love for 'BTAS' throughout this story DLC - the plot is loosely based on fan favourite episode 'Heart of Ice', in which The Dark Knight must rescue humanitarian Ferris Boyle from a chilly demise at the hands of one giant ice robot, but all is not as it seems. Even the opening title screen beautifully mimics the original series' title card, and there are multiple references through dialogue that are subtle nods to the infamous episode. Needless to say, knowledgeable Bat fans will definitely appreciate these Easter eggs.

 

The story itself is essentially a retelling of said episode, but has more twists and turns for gameplay value. We open with a fantastic sequence in Wayne Manor, where you fight your way through thugs that have invaded the mansion before travelling through a secret passage to don your cape and cowl. From then on it's a race to find Mr. Boyle before Freeze quite literally breaks the ice, and you'll bump into a few familiar faces along the way, including a hilarious cameo from Nolan North as the Penguin, who was sadly underutilised in the main campaign. Maurice LaMarche reprises his role from Arkham City as Freeze, and his voice work shines through as the highlight of the DLC. With such well written dialogue paying homage to the original animated classic, it's bizarre to be both intimidated by and sympathetic towards a character in such a way. Overall the story is a little underwhelming if you know the basics of Freeze's origins, especially considering how emotionally driven it's source material was, but has a few touching moments here and there to keep you interested.

 

 

 Gameplay has also evolved thanks to the addition of the new XE suit; an Iron Man-esque fashion statement that allows you to kick criminal ass whilst in subzero temperatures, and use your Thermal Gloves to free frozen civilians, or just allow for interesting new takedowns. Whilst the suit has a great design, with its bulky shoulder pads and mouth-less cowl, the only new feature it gives us is a copy and paste of the Shock Gauntlets from the main game. Whilst this is only a slight disappointment, it's a shame to also see this new suit isn't available to use in the external challenge maps, nor are any of the new locations available as said maps outside of this DLC. It's a flaw that Arkham City's 'Harley Quinn's Revenge' also had, and one that will hopefully be fixed third time around for the upcoming Arkham Knight.

 

Unfortunately this isn't the only deja vu you'll notice in this DLC. In the free roam sections of the game (notably reduced down to just the South District of Gotham, giving you a much smaller environment to play with), you'll have the chance to take out some Anarky thugs in order to earn yourself some upgrades. Whilst this could have been an interesting side quest to tie in with the main narrative, it's evident some of these sections were taken directly from gameplay shown at Origin's E3 preview last year - which didn't make the final cut of the main game. Interesting really, when you think about how developers Warner Bros. Games Montreal stated they wouldn't be releasing any more patches for the infamously buggy Arkham Origins to focus on this DLC, yet they merely added unused elements into the latter. Sheer laziness, or severe pressure from Warner Bros? That's an answer to decide for yourself. Regardless, the Anarky missions are few in number and are basic combat encounters that are brain-numbingly simple to beat.

 

What is a challenge however is the several Silent Predator encounters you'll face. Multiple enemies, a whole lot of guns, hostages to boot - you'll need to think your way through these ones. The boss fight is, again, suspiciously similar to Arkham City's Mr. Freeze showdown, but incorporates these stealth elements to the point where you really have to be on your toes to avoid getting spotted. Combat remains the same, and offer less of a challenge if you're an experienced Arkham gamer. However the introduction of enemies with cryogenic equipment is a nice little addition that is a neat aesthetic touch, but can become tedious to avoid.

 

 

 Another disappointment is the laggy graphics. There is a distinct difference between the CGI cutscenes and the ones rendered in-game, and the lip sync is frankly embarrassing. It's a shame really, as many of said computer rendered cinematics are stunning to look at, and a lot of the new locations such as Wayne Manor and Nora's containment unit are great setpieces to admire. You'll find yourself sitting through many black loading screens in order to transition into a dialogue driven encounter, and then grimace your way through dodgy lip movements. It's a problem I certainly never noticed in the main game itself, so it's a pity to see it show up here when several elements of this DLC seem lazily strung together as is.

 

At its core, A Cold, Cold Heart is a neat little extra to add to the Arkhamverse lore, but fails to add any original gameplay aspects that'll make you get your money's worth. Thankfully, its clear love for Batman: The Animated Series saves this DLC from freezing solid in the ice cold blizzard of unoriginality, and is sure to warm true Bat fans' hearts.

 

Score: 5/10

The LEGO Movie Review

Bursting with colour, creativity, and of course bricks, this pop-culture cashgrab is as smart as it is stunning.

 

 

The iconic Danish brand alone guarenteed this film's financial success - but what could have been your typical dumbed down kid's movie is actually a masterful construction of wit, satire, and nostalgia that the whole family can enjoy.

 

In fact, The LEGO Movie is perhaps moreso written for adults than children. It's a movie that is very self aware, and the majority of the film's gags revolve around the limitations of the brand in question. For a film that is essentially an hour and a half long commercial, it surprisingly has a lot of social commentary, even poking fun at the consumerism it's based upon. There's several little nods throughout the narrative that can make anyone who's ever played with those iconic bricks feel like a kid again.

 

That's not to say that The LEGO Movie is without a plot - considering the brand has hundreds of licenses under their studded belts, it's actually admirable to see the writers haven't let their game down; the band of minifigure misfits are perfectly cast and, dare I say, hilarious to see interact with one another (Liam Neeson as a police officer with an unusual case of bipolar disorder takes the cake) and the inclusion of multiple third party characters makes this universe even more imaginative and similar to that of many children's experiances with LEGO. The third act is nothing short of breathtaking - after a year with so few good animated films, who'd have thought a movie based on colourful pieces of plastic could actually be incredibly touching? It's a moral that can identify with millions of LEGO users across the world, and one that is perfectly bittersweet; for both the young and young at heart.

 

The animation is also top-notch, with the stop motion indistinguisable from it's computer generated counterpart. It's a feast for the eyes, though can be overwhelming at times - the second act feeling like a mass of multicoloured bricks sprawled across your carpet. If you can recover from this seizure of creativity however, the rest of the film is incredible to look at, and you can see the craftsmenship that went into creating each individual world. From an ocean made out of translucent blue studs to every alarm clock reading 7:00AM, it's a "Master Builder" paradise.

 

Far from following the instruction manual of children's films, The LEGO Movie is a creation that is made with true precision in both writing and visuals. Despite the ocassional overwhelming nature of it's detailed setpieces, the mass is constructed into an ending you can't help but marvel at, and builds the foundations for many brand-based, family friendly films to come.

 

Score: 9/10

Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate Review

The Arkhamverse's first venture into handheld gaming is a solid entry to the series' near perfect mythos.

Whilst Warner Bros. latest console addition to the franchise didn't bare as well as its predecessors, Batman: Arkham Origins was undeniably the best written and best looking entry to the trilogy. However along with the release of this perculiar prequel came the addition of a game unique to the PSVita and 3DS platforms - I'm of course refering to Blackgate.

 

Set three months after the events of Origins, Blackgate follows Batman's journey into Blackgate Prison in order to take out the three gang leaders - Joker, Black Mask and Penguin - who are holding the facility hostage after a suspicious riot breaks out. Working alongside The Dark Knight is Catwoman, in her first canon appearence of the franchise, whos motives seem uncertain to her caped counterpart. The story is the main focus of the game as it should be, with the same stellar voice acting and the same stellar writing behind the series that we've come to expect. Troy Baker in particular steals the show again as the Clown Prince of Crime, and the game actually manages to be pretty dark at times. Without giving too much away, Blackgate's loose plot and unneeded cameos in the form of boss fights ties up nicely at its climax, alluding to a much anticipated WB project in the works. In all honesty, many faults cannot be pointed out within the story itself, and the game is certainly a worthy entry into the Arkham universe. Although one must bode the question - haven't we seen this all before in Batman: Arkham Asylum?

 

What's particularly interesting about this game is it's platforming style, modelled after Metriod and the such like, in contrast to the sandbox enviroment of its console equivalents. In every sense then, Blackgate was designed to be handheld, and not a mere copy and paste job.

 

Playing on a 3DS though, it's hard to say many traditions of the franchise have transitioned all that smoothly. Keeping up a combo in combat is near impossible thanks to the device's tiny buttons in comparison to console controllers, meaning that the now iconic Freeflow Focus system developed in previous games is lost entirely to clunky, slow fight scenes. This can be particularly difficult for some of the boss fights, in which you have to multitask evading and using gadgets without the ability to quickfire them like in the game's predecessors. I specifically mention that I played the game on a 3DS as I feel the experiance may have been slightly different should I have played on a PSVita. In fact, I would say the game is designed even more so to the Vita's advantage; the collectables throughout the game don't feel that rewarding to gather unless you're earning a trophy for them, and similarly so for unlocking each ending (which we'll get into a bit later).

 

 

As far as Detective Mode goes, again the limitations of being a handheld game restricts overall enjoyment of playment. Each predator sequence feels laid out for you, not making it much of a challenge if you know the basics of any Arkham game. Of course there are the odd encounters that require you to think more than usual, but the new ability of analysing your environment is really what seals the deal.

 

Although briefly touched upon in Arkham Origins, the new feature of being able to analyse your surroundings using Detective Mode makes an emmersive gaming experiance where you truly feel like the World's Greatest Detective, and rightly so takes up the majority of gameplay. I actually found myself really liking this new feature after initial skepticism, and it isn't as tedious as it looks. Blackgate is very much a puzzle based game, with this new feature being the core of it. I'd love to see something similar introduced into the future console entries to the franchise, as it makes the Caped Crusader's journey that little bit more interesting.

 

Also unique to the game is the ability to backtrack. Each boss holds out a specific area of the prison, and once you've explored around half of each facility, you'll be required to travel to another via a secret entrance to obtain a gadget upgrade in order for you to move on. Admittedly this can be a bit tedious, but the structure works out OK for the most part, and the great set designs are good enough to occupy you otherwise. This also allows the player to complete the main story in different orders, making it great for replay value if you want to unlock all the villain's secret (all be it short) cutscenes and a slightly alternate climax - note the word slightly.

 

If anything however, the games biggest fault lies in its atrocious character models. Although only noticeable up close, by slapping a texture onto a character model rather than designing them more carefully is in all honesty a disgrace to a system that has had the likes of the beautiful Uncharted and Forza on their resume. Again, this may differ from console to console, but the 3D was certainly not doing the character models any justice.

 

 

What is gorgeous to look at however is the motion comic cutscenes. With a stunning blend of hand drawn animation and realistic textures, these drive the story forward and look fantastic in 3D. Bar some characters being drawn slightly off, it's a neat addition that delivers on what TMNT: Out of The Shadows failed to do so. As I mentioned earlier, the backdrops are also extremely well designed and laid out, whilst also being easy to navigate over time, allowing the platforming experience to be as entertaining as it should be.

 

In conclusion, Arkham Origins: Blackgate is similar to its prequel twin in that both have technical flaws and don't deliver 100% of the time. Despite these problems though, both also give us a great story, and the new features added are really what make them worth checking out.

 

Score: 7/10