Hey hey hey.
Just a quick one as I’m all over the place today.
The last of the recycled haikus! I know, so lazy…
If I were a cat,
I would eat bats and puppies,
To gain their powers.
Ventricles are great,
The left one shoots my blue blood,
Up the Aorta.
Anyway!
[sociable]
Ave.
I was just having a nosey at the new Splinter Cell on Xbox and thought I’d share some screenies.
SC: Blacklist is due out on the 23rd in the UK, just a few days away. The gist is that a group of terrorist calling themselves the ‘Engineers’ are trying to curb the expansion of the US across the world (doesn’t seem so bad to me). They’ve issued an ultimatum called the Blacklist, which is a ‘deadly countdown’ of escalating attacks on US interests.
I think that means that they’re attacking increasingly important targets. They want the US to give in before it things get too explodey.
So in steps Sam Fisher, head of the new 4th Echelon (remember, the spy unit that he belonged to in most of the others) who will stop them by any means necessary, particularly any that involve crouching in the dark.
So, in response to the mixed feedback from the last game, they’re putting Sam back in his normal suit and goggles and going for a more traditional Splinter Cell game. Apparently he’s also ‘more lethal and agile than ever’ which I find a bit hard to believe when he’s been complaining about being too old for the job for the past three games.
You can choose to be a ghost, panther, or assault player: sneaky hidey, sneaky killy, or shooty facey. Personally, I don’t know why I’d play Splinter Cell without intending to hide and sneak and all that.
There will be gadgets that excite me not at all so I won’t explain them. Also you’ll get to work on building up 4th Echelon- the team, Sam’s gear and a flying fortress called the Paladin (whaaa?).
It’s not clear how the Kinect will feature, but I’m sure that’ll be fun too.
Anyway, it looks like this:
Sam looks a bit like he’s had a breakdown and wandered off in the night.
Dakka dakka! I’m like a ghost, I am.
Take fist, Alik’r scum!
Must… not… giggle…
He looks a tad bored. I suppose he’s snapped more necks than I’ve had hot dinners.
Ta-ta.
[sociable]
Afternoon all.
Well, I went and saw Star Trek: Into Darkness!
Honestly, I didn’t really detect a direct correlation between plot and title, except that space is dark. Also, there’s an implied progression into metaphorical darkness in any story that contains life threatening peril, but I don’t think that’s it.
I mean, you might as well call it ‘Star Trek: Progressively Serious Events’ or ‘Star Trek: Here Are Some Dangerous Situations.’
Maybe it’s referring to the darkness festering in Khan’s heart?
Anyway, Khan’s heart is certainly all about the darkness. It’s not made very clear why, except that he and his genetically enhanced crew were used and thrown aside by the Feds and he’s not just vengeful, but out to kill anyone who displeases him even if they’re been honourable and helpful. It’s a bit reminiscent of Nero from the first film, the king of overreactions- ‘My planet was destroyed by a natural disaster that couldn’t really be prevented, but you were trying to prevent it? Well then, I’m going to destroy your planet, in the past.’
‘Khaaaaaaan!’ ‘…Dude, I’m right here.’
Sorry, where was I?
This instalment has a nice bit of character development for Kirkyboy and Spockster (well, more than the average action film) on top of a solid plot equal in stature to any of the previous Star Trek films. There are genuinely funny moments, truly great visuals (discounting J.J. Abrams’ love of blinding you with flashing lights in every scene, even if it’s a quiet one) and top quality acting.
Cumberbatch, obviously, is excellent. Goes without saying. He’s quite intimidating, at times, though I’d have liked to see more scenes of him interacting with the crew of the Enterprise. There was definitely room for some more cat-and-mouse dialogue. How does he compare to the original Khan? Well, he’s quite a different character, so I don’t really want to ‘go there’. Cumby’s Khan is less hammy and 80s, at least. On that note, there are some nods to Wrath of Khan in this movie, though its clearly not a direct remake- I can’t say what they are, but you’ll probably be expecting them anyway!
Quinto, again, great as ever. Both he and Pine come across as being a few years older and wiser than in the first film- which seems like an obvious thing to say, but its noticeable when done right. Hell, even Peter Weller is good, though his character doesn’t get much attention.
There’s a new woman, because it seems there has to be to keep men interested in films. She gets her kit off for a few seconds in a very ‘token’ feeling panties shot, just like in the first film. It’s okay though because she’s smart and independent. I forget her name. Blonde-panty-scientist-not-Uhura.
A highlight for me was that we get to see Klingons for the first time since the reboot, and they look cool, which is saying something. They don’t look like fake-tanned men with pasties stuck to their foreheads, anyway. There’s another classic Star Trek alien to spot too…
Not much else to report without committing spoiler crimes. It’s a fun film, as good as the previous, well thought out with solid acting. The plot is simple and direct (the twists are as obvious as a horse in a bin, but they serve their purpose to drive events forward) and has a pleasing dose of the classic Star Trek vibe- the application of strategy in order to win against the odds. I’ve always liked that angle in Star Trek, because it’s far more pleasing than brainless big-guns action and it suits the naval atmosphere of the franchise.
Oh, yeah, I got a free Starfleet pin badge, too. I’m cool!
[sociable]