those_who_dig Reviews

Angel Face (1952)

Mitchum and Simmons shine in this film-noir

[7/10 · 2 September 2023]

I first watched Otto Preminger's Angel Face eight years ago and decided to give it another viewing last night. My impression of the film improved somewhat - my original IMDb rating was 6 which I've now bumped up to 7.

Mitchum and Simmons - both arguably underrated - make it a compelling watch. The story isn't film-noir at its finest, but if you're interested in the leads then it's definitely worth your time. As the lower third of the poster may suggest, there are some standout scenes in 'Angel Face' which go above-and-beyond what you may be expecting from an inexpensive-looking noir from the early 1950s.

C'mon C'mon (2021)

Immensely enjoyable performances from the lead actors

[8/10 · 2 September 2023]

This is a supremely likeable road movie and, with Joaquin Phoenix's harrowing performance as the Joker still fresh in mind, reminds us of the actor's extraordinary versatility. Phoenix's on-screen nephew is played by Woody Norman who has impressed me more than any child actor since I saw Jacob Tremblay in 2015's 'Room'.

As the direction of my review has indicated, 'C'mon C'mon' is very much a performance-driven film. If you enjoy seeing brilliant actors get completely lost in their roles, treat yourself by watching this. I wasn't familiar with director Mike Mills prior to this, but he's firmly on my radar as of today!

The Outer Worlds (2019 Video Game)

Adequate, but could have been so much more!

[6/10 · 3 July 2023]

Although the visuals, companions and soundtrack to The Outer Worlds are first-rate, the rest of the game gradually disappoints. Perhaps too much was expected of Obsidian, and this game was bound to be diminished by our memories of Fallout: New Vegas.

This is branded as an RPG but feels more like a rather linear looter-shooter.

The NPCs don't appear to inhabit the world they're placed in - standing in place, often not even interacting with other passing NPCs or their surroundings.

The enemy AI is very limited in both variety and behaviour. You'll soon tire of run-of-the-mill bandits charging at you with no apparent strategy or ability to adapt.

I typically love dialogue-rich games, recently completing the Mass Effect trilogy and making sure to explore every dialogue option in every interaction. That said, the conversations the player has with NPCs in The Outer Worlds feels bloated. Just about every quest-giver has too much to say without any real substance.

Consider it on sale, but otherwise look elsewhere for a role-playing experience that can stand the test of time.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019 Video Game)

A return to form for Star Wars gaming

[8/10 · 6 April 2023]

Jedi: Fallen Order is is one of the best Star Wars games in over a decade. The protagonist, Cal Kestis, is likeable and well developed through the use of flashbacks, engaging dialogue and consistently strong writing. The broader cast of characters is similarly pleasant, especially when one remembers that this is an action game more akin to The Force Unleashed than a narrative-rich RPG like Knights of the Old Republic.

The gameplay is fast-paced and the combat undergoes continuous invigoration through Cal's ability to unlock skills and abilities. That said, a little more variety among Imperial forces would have been nice.

The levels throughout Fallen Order are well-designed and cohesive, with each planet boasting the strengths of the original Dark Souls: a linear path of progression which later unfolds and expands through activating shortcuts and checkpoints.

The boss fights are intelligently created, although nothing in Fallen Order quite reaches the heights that FromSoftware have been able to scale.

The story is classic Star Wars, and doesn't defy convention in the way that a few of the franchise's entries (most obviously KOTOR II) did. It slots rather seamlessly into the new canon Disney is developing. Altogether, Fallen Order is a very solid entry in the iconic franchise, and evidence that single-player Star Wars hasn't been left in the 2000s!

Mafia: Definitive Edition (2020 Video Game)

A solid update to a cherished classic

[8/10 · 25 March 2023]

Clocking in at about 10 hours, Mafia: Definitive Edition plays out like a well-paced miniseries. It's more linear than I remember, but I suspect that's a result of playing a number of visually similar open-world games prior to revisiting this updated version of the beloved classic. Whilst I'd argue that none of the game's mechanics excel, I will acknowledge that the developers conveyed motion, weight and the general handling of vehicles very effectively. The story is a little cliché at times, but it retains a strong core of characters who are compelling from start to finish. Some will say that this Definitive Edition is a downgrade (see the Steam discussions!), but I caught it at a reduced price and emerged several days later appreciative of the experience.

GreedFall (2019 Video Game)

Stylish but lacking the qualities that make a strong RPG

[6/10 · 2 March 2023]

I can't really recommend this one. While the under-utilised historical influences are pleasant and the voice acting is strong, the negatives outweigh the positives.

One of the first things to draw my attention was the basic errors in subtitles' spelling and grammar. Two examples I noted were the misspelling 'sollicit', and the use of 'rebel rousers' instead of 'rabble rousers' - amateurish, easily correctable mistakes.

Some of the side-quests are fairly interesting, but a large amount of your questing time will be spent running between NPCs. This has driven me from other games in the past, and it's done so once again with GreedFall.

The lore has some potential, but I don't think it is introduced very effectively to the player. The term 'lore dump' would be an apposite description of what the player is subjected to in the first minutes of gameplay. A more informative opening cinematic would help here.

The combat is serviceable but becomes repetitive fairly quickly, and dialogue sequences are consistently verbose.

All things considered, the interaction of 17th-century New World and European fantasy aesthetics is very refreshing, but as an RPG GreedFall quickly falls flat.

Street Fighter V (2016 Video Game)

Disappointingly light on content

[5/10 · 21 February 2023]

The core gameplay of Street Fighter V is enjoyable, but there just isn't enough here to recommend. The main story is locked until you download additional content(!), and so I first checked out the character stories. I was disappointed to find just how short these were. The typical character story consists of four single-round fights sandwiched between a series of brief cutscenes.

During my time playing Street Fighter V, I also noticed how heavily the game subjects the player to advertisements, promotions and pop-ups. A free-to-play game may get a pass for this, but it's really inexcusable in a game that I've had to buy.

There's considerably less value for money in this game than other fighters - unless you're a die-hard Street Fighter fan, I'd advise you to check out something like Mortal Kombat X or SoulCalibur VI.

Divinity: Original Sin II (2017 Video Game)

An outstanding effort by Larian Studios

[10/10 · 29 January 2023]

This is a fantastic RPG, and a big improvement on the first Divinity: Original Sin. With a gripping storyline, imaginative settings and a thoroughly enjoyable cast of characters, your first playthrough is guaranteed to be a highly rewarding experience. The broad range of choices available to the player and the flexible class system will make it very likely that you won't just stop at one playthrough. I completed the game just a few days ago, and I'm already planning which characters and skills I want to invest in next time.

I highly recommend this to fans of tactical RPGs. The range of difficulties makes it accessible to players of all experience levels.

Yakuza 4 (2010 Video Game)

A more laboured effort than other Yakuza titles

[7/10 · 3 December 2022]

If you're intent on playing through the Yakuza series, it's highly likely that you'll end up buying and playing Yakuza 4 along the way. You may reasonably argue that it wouldn't make sense to skip over a major entry in the saga. I understand that, and wouldn't really like to deter fans from buying it. My negative review is more a statement that Yakuza 4 is, in my opinion, the weakest instalment I've played so far.

The plot is convoluted, with a now-notorious twist in the second half that can only fail to impress. The cutscene-to-gameplay ratio is tiresome at times: you'll probably wonder at points, "when can I actually *do* something?". Overall, it feels like a chore to play. It's the first time I've abandoned a Yakuza game before the finish line; I'll read up on what I've missed ahead of playing Yakuza 5 whenever my interest in the series has recovered.

Far Cry 2 (2008 Video Game)

Tediously formulaic, with its cutting-edge qualities dulled by the passing years.

[6/10 · 17 August 2022]

I don't think it's aged well. You'll spend much more time travelling from the mission-giver to the destination than actually performing the tasks required in the mission. Spend five minutes driving to a corner of the map, destroy an enemy cache with a single grenade in a maximum of two minutes, spend another five minutes or more returning for the next mission. Sprinkle in the endless enemy patrols, meandering road network and on-brand repetition from this Ubisoft game, and you end up with a title that felt fresh and even next-gen in 2008, but a very faded product now.

Return to Castle Wolfenstein (2001 Video Game)

Rough around the edges but great fun!

[8/10 · 18 June 2022]

All these years later, Return to Castle Wolfenstein offers a very fun single-player experience.

The level design is generally intuitive, and grows stronger as the game progresses. The areas you occupy in-game are made more immersive through immaculate attention to detail and period-appropriate decoration.

Certain aspects of the game's visual presentation have aged particularly well, for instance characters' faces and the weapons.

There's good feedback in firefights - you'll usually be able to tell whether you've hit your enemy. However, hitboxes aren't very accurate. Spend enough time using a sniper and you'll realise that many of the shots you clearly miss in fact hit the intended target. It's better to wrongly register misses than not recognise hits, I suppose!

The stealth can be frustrating. It's almost as if AI detection works using RNG instead of a coherent pattern. Sometimes you'll be spotted half a mile away through a dark mist; sometimes the soldier you're sneaking up on will have no peripheral vision whatsoever.

It took me a while to adjust to the absence of an aim-down-sight ability for most weapons in the game, but as your arsenal expands you'll find something that works for your play-style.

A slightly frustrating component of the game is its tendency to use a start-of-level save instead of your latest quicksave for its automatic reload.

There are probably fixes for all of the issues I've raised in this review, but nothing in Return to Castle Wolfenstein agitated me to the point of caring to seek out mods or patches. Take the game as you find it and you'll still be having fun most of the time.

Red Faction: Guerrilla (2009 Video Game)

The physics are great. Everything else is mediocre at best.

[6/10 · 12 June 2022]

I've had a lot of fun with Guerrilla's destruction physics, but that's all I can really say in favour of the game.

The narrative is threadbare with no memorable characters - including the protagonist. There are no dramatic twists or turns in the story: "We have to stop the EDF!" is the character arc of pretty much everyone in the game.

The AI, most notably in friendly NPCs, is atrocious. Colonists throw themselves in front of passing vehicles and run into buildings you're in the process of demolishing. You're then penalised for their poor design with a "population demoralised" notification.

The combat is okay. Firefights aren't particularly enjoyable, but some of the unlockable weapons speed things up and help to minimise the amount of time spent trading shots with the EDF.

Guerrilla's driving holds some notoriety, but the mechanics when on-road aren't bad. The vehicles unfortunately aren't well-suited for the terrain of Mars, and so driving off-road is rarely a productive or fun experience. The surprising level of customisation available in weaponry isn't shared by the vehicles in this game, and so the player never feels any ownership. Making matters worse, there isn't much variety in vehicles. My best driving experiences usually involved stealing one of the EDF vehicles.

While the physics in this game are remarkably ahead of their time, they can't carry the game to a point of recommendation. Pick it up on sale and have some fun demolishing everything in sight, but don't make a full-price investment hoping for a satisfying, complete game.

Red Faction (2001 Video Game)

Red Faction has come a long way, but the original title holds up rather well

[7/10 · 10 June 2022]

Red Faction is definitely a product of its time, but it stands as an above-average shooter with some fun mechanics.

There's a decent variety of weapons in the game. Some items will make others redundant, but there aren't any hugely overpowered or underpowered items in the Red Faction arsenal, and so each player's preferences should be accommodated.

The famed destruction physics are fun to play around with, but they seem to become less relevant as the game progresses. They hardly factor into the final act at all.

There's an attempt at a stealth system in Red Faction, which is one of the game's major shortcomings in my opinion. It's hard to detect any guiding principles behind whether the protagonist will remain incognito or have his cover blown, and the forced stealth sequences strip the player of every weapon beside a holdout pistol. Even with alarms tripped and dozens of enemies swarming you, you're forced to stick to your pistol and can't even pick up fallen enemies' weapons.

The story is straightforward and light. There are two major antagonists in Red Faction, with the first being much more entertaining than the second. Battling these two villains is a bit of a let down, however.

Overall, I'd say the first Red Faction game has held up relatively well despite the clear signs of age. It's no Half-Life, but rests comfortably in the B-tier of early 2000s shooters.

Hitman: Absolution (2012 Video Game)

Not a pure Hitman game, but a strong action-stealth title

[7/10 · 10 June 2022]

Quite an anomaly in the Hitman catalogue, Absolution plays very differently to the previous games. You'll experience action sequences and level designs that would better fit the Arkham games, and it's hard not to notice that Agent 47 is forcibly steered down many more courses of action than we're used to seeing. Still, there's enough of what we enjoyed about the earlier Hitman games to please fans of the franchise.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (I) (2003 Video Game)

A great game... in 2003!

[7/10 · 10 June 2022]

I wanted to persist with this first entry in the modern Prince of Persia series, but I found in each session I dedicated to the game that the negatives outweighed the positives. The platforming, perhaps the most defining characteristic of Prince of Persia, is enjoyable all these years after The Sands of Time's release.

You'll spend at least half of your in-game time platforming, and so it's great to see that this feature has aged well. That isn't to call it easy, however. This game is surprisingly punishing in fall damage; you'd probably expect the Prince to survive larger drops than a GTA character... and you'd be wrong! I assume the developer's intention was to ensure the player took no shortcuts and completed the levels as intended. It's frustrating, but workable.

If only the combat had aged like the platforming. The Sands of Time's enemies appear out of thin air as in Final Fantasy, arriving in wave after wave with no indication ever given as to how much longer a battle will remain. When the first three enemies appeared in the most recent area I played through, I had no idea whether I'd be facing a further three, or six, or twenty. Water fountains (the game's healing stations) are generally at hand, but good luck disengaging from the combat system's auto-lock and being able to actually use them.

The final feature I'd like to draw attention to is the ability to rewind in-game. While limited by how much sand you've collected (sand serves as a kind of action-point), being able to backtrack after a fatal misstep is a huge boon to the player. Perhaps unintentionally, the rewind feature helps in compensating for the The Sands of Time's poorly-aged qualities. For example, I often attempted to jump onto a pillar or platform that wasn't, in fact, grippable. This would invariably prove fatal.

Trying to be objective, there are probably more positives than negatives in playing Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time in 2022. Note at the start of my review, I said that the negatives *outweighed* the positives. The combat is so detrimental to my enjoyment of the game, I'm willing to set it aside entirely and forego the many moments of fun platforming, puzzle-cracking and exploration that I'm sure would await.

Electric Dreams (1984)

Lighthearted '80s fun with solid lead performances

[7/10 · 31 December 2017]

'Electric Dreams' isn't the sort of film I'd usually watch, but I was drawn to it for a few reasons. The first was Lenny von Dohlen - I'd only known him as Harold from 'Twin Peaks', and thought he was a peculiar choice for a lead role. The second was Virginia Madsen; I'm not too familiar with much of her work, but I watched 'Candyman' a few months ago and thought she was a brilliant actress. Neither of these two performers disappoint in 'Electric Dreams'. The writing is a little hit-and-miss, especially when the computer begins to acquire a personality. It isn't as detrimental as it could have been, though, due to the film's lightheartedness. This was director Steve Barron's first feature project and the only film he directed in the '80s - he spent most of the decade directing music videos for the likes of Bryan Adams, A-ha and even Michael Jackson. The director's background will make a lot of sense when you watch 'Electric Dreams' -- if you're expecting something quite cerebral like Spike Jonze's 'Her', you'll be disappointed.

Bright (I) (2017)

Ironically titled!

[3/10 · 22 December 2017]

'Bright' should have taken some pointers from its title and lightened up a little. How seriously are we expected to take a film which features orc gangsters, elves using iPhones and a fight between Will Smith and a fairy? *Very* seriously, it seems. Smith is given a few lines that are reminiscent of Alonzo from 'Training Day', but apart from these brief pauses from gloom the film is entirely devoid of humour. The world-building is far too superficial. There are even references to 'Shrek' in this film. Sometimes allusions to pop culture and the real world work in fantasy (e.g. in Stephen King's 'The Dark Tower' books and Terry Pratchett's 'Discworld' series), but it's a total misfire here. The world of 'Bright' seems to be a carbon copy of our own world, and we're just expected to accept the fact that it happens to feature elves, orcs, magic and the like. The specifics of the film aren't as bad as its premise: the performances are fairly decent (Edgerton does what he can but is heavily restricted by his character), the soundtrack is forgettable but passable, and the visuals are occasionally impressive. I can't recommend 'Bright' to anyone in sincerity - the world-building is comparable to something a 13-year-old would produce for a creative-writing project. I was drawn to this film after asking myself the question of how director David Ayer and writer Max Landis make a premise like this work... the answer: they don't.

Moana (I) (2016)

Some problems in the presentation but overall a solid Disney film

[7/10 · 17 December 2017]

The qualities of Disney films that most people like are sustained in 'Moana' and generally presented with great skill and wit. Auli'i Cravalho handles her debut role excellently, and Dwayne Johnson makes a much better voice actor than I expected. The setting of 'Moana' is fresh and seems to be arranged with integrity and a genuine interest. My only substantial complaint about this film is that the distribution of songs seems somewhat inconsistent, dominating the first half to the extent that the narrative isn't as easily followed as it should be; the world of 'Moana' is harder to break into than those of 'Frozen' and the other recent, memorable Disney films, and so the directors probably should have taken a little more time to explain it to the audience before we hear half a dozen songs. The good in 'Moana' definitely outweighs the bad, though, and my 7/10 rating *almost* became an 8/10.

To Paris with Love (1955)

It's no 'Kind Hearts and Coronets' -- far from it!

[5/10 · 16 December 2017]

Alec Guinness starred in an impressive number of very good comedies in the 1950s, and most of these are now sadly quite obscure. The obscurity of Robert Hamer's 'To Paris with Love' *isn't* such a tragedy, however. There are one or two genuinely funny lines in this film, but the laughs are far too infrequent to justify watching it, even in light of its rather forgiving 78 minute runtime. The performances are not too bad and Guinness's is predictably solid, but when the film's problems are situated in the writing and directing even a legion of A-listers would probably fail to elevate it out of mediocrity. To the fans of 'Kind Hearts and Coronets' who've found their way to this later pairing of Hamer and Guinness: don't get your hopes up.

Doctor Strange (2016)

The story is run-of-the-mill but the visuals are first-class

[7/10 · 16 December 2017]

Scott Derrickson's 'Doctor Strange' plays it safe most of the time by adhering to the familiar comic-book movie format (origin story, followed by training, followed by a battle with the villain). But as the saying goes: if it isn't broken, don't fix it. While the narrative side of 'Doctor Strange' doesn't offer anything new, the visuals are pretty exceptional in at least a few segments. Marvel have been outperforming their rivals for at least the last few years when it comes to cinematography and design, but in this film I'd argue that the visuals surpass even other recent films from the same studio such as 'Deadpool' and 'Captain America: Civil War'. If aesthetics rank highly on your list of qualities to look for in a film, look no further.

Injustice: Gods Among Us (2013 Video Game)

The favourable opinion of a non-fan

[8/10 · 5 November 2017]

I've never been a big D.C. (or Marvel for that matter) fan, and I've played fewer fighting games than almost any other genre. In other words, I'm not the target audience for this game. Yet I really enjoyed every moment of 'Injustice: Gods Among Us'. I don't know what die- hard fighting fans will make of it; maybe it's too accessible for some of them, but as a relatively casual player I can't think of much to criticise. I *do* wish that Batman's playstyle was a little smoother -- playing him seems a little trickier than the rest of the characters. The story is surprisingly good - the fighting fits within the narrative rather than the other way around, and this is probably why it was such a success. The sequence of events feels natural, and not just an excuse to line up the next opponent. Many of the story fights actually add to the plot in some sense, and so the player is always left with an impression of progress which runs much deeper than just beating the current level. I bought this game in the sales but would in retrospect happily pay full price -- the amount of content is *very* impressive. There are enough unique challenges to not only acquaint you with all the characters, moves and settings, but to also fill dozens if not hundreds of hours. (The fact that I haven't logged many more hours on this is largely due to the fact that I'm not very good with fighting games and just *know* that I won't get very far with the additional content.) This game, in brief, is definitely worth your money and time

Lucius (2012 Video Game)

An unconventional approach to horror which mostly works

[7/10 · 23 October 2017]

In this game, you play the title character, a young boy called Lucius who happens to be the son of the devil. This is quite a departure from most other horror titles, and the effect it creates means that 'Lucius' isn't really a horror game at all, as you're implicit in the planning of all the atrocities committed throughout the story. The fact that it probably won't scare you doesn't mean that you will find it unenjoyable, though. 'Lucius' takes the form of a puzzle game, and a few action sequences are spread throughout the title; bear in mind, though, that the action isn't sufficiently frequent to appeal to someone who dislike puzzles and strategy. If you choose not to rely on walkthroughs (which, I admit, I did on a handful of occasions), you'll be spending a considerable amount of time riffling through drawers, shelves, rooms and cellars, looking for the various objects necessary for the completion of your mission. Your mission, invariably, is to eliminate the multitude of inhabitants and employees of Dante Manor. As you have the physical capabilities of a normal eight-year-old boy, you won't be relying on machetes, sledgehammers or firearms for your kills; instead, you have to use your environment. This complements the puzzle-based nature of the game, as, on occasion, the main challenge of your mission seems to be knowing just which weapon you should use. If you've seen 'The Omen', you've undoubtedly already drawn a handful of parallels between this game and the film. Whilst the acting talents of performers like Gregory Peck and Mia Farrow are sadly unreplicated in this uncannily similar game, you'll surely find enough interaction - whether object- or person-based - to immerse yourself in the world of Lucius and Dante Manor.

Two Worlds (2007 Video Game)

A tepid contribution to the genre

[4/10 · 13 September 2017]

Many reviewers are describing Two Worlds as 'so bad it's good', but to me that sounds like settling for mediocrity when there's a vast number of superior RPGs out there. (I wouldn't spend my time trying to justify Eragon if I could just watch Lord of the Rings!) This game really throws you in at the deep end without giving you a reason to swim. Barely an hour into the main story you find your map dotted with about half a dozen quest markers, each of which you need to visit in order to advance. You have three ways of getting around in Two Worlds: you can walk, you can ride a horse, or you can teleport. Walking from A to B is the tried-and-true method, of course, but you'll soon grow tired of being swarmed by monotonous waves of enemies every thirty seconds; and the types of opponent you encounter are about as uninteresting as those in any MMO starter area (big spiders, wolves, shirtless bandits, etc.). Horse-riding was marketed as one of the major selling points of this game, and the fact that one of the core skills you can invest in relates to mounted combat demonstrates how highly the developers value this aspect. The problem is that horse-riding really isn't worth the effort. Gamers familiar with Red Dead Redemption and The Witcher 3 will be accustomed to having a mount that is only a whistle away; don't expect any such convenience here. Secondly the horses really don't seem to take to the terrain in Two Worlds, and attempting even a slight hill will cause your mount to hit an invisible wall. The mechanics of horse-riding are horribly clunky, and the mounted combat isn't very enjoyable either. The teleports are probably your best option, but in order to use teleport sites you first have to travel to them -- by foot or horse, and so the above-listed problems really can't be avoided. Some reviewers seem to like the combat. It doesn't get much more complicated than click-click-click with the occasional use of a hotkey. The fighting animations are one of the better aspects of this game, I'll admit, and I found a fair amount of enjoyment in seeing how my character wielded and attacked using the various weapons on offer (which, again to this game's credit, are very numerous). I don't think anyone is going to be citing the plot as one of Two Worlds' must-try qualities, and amidst all the swarming and general tedium you'll probably have to refresh your memory of the story's events pretty quickly. The side quests are fairly average for an RPG; they neither make nor break the experience. The voice acting is simply horrible and the writing isn't much better. These aspects, if not the ones mentioned above, will almost certainly prevent you from appreciating the plot of Two Worlds. Overall, the bad outweighs the good in my opinion. If you've poured thousands of hours into dozens of great RPGs and really can't find anything else to add to your wishlist, you may salvage some fun from all the monotony and second-rate gameplay. If there are other RPGs out there that you're even mildly interested in, on the other hand, I'd strongly advise *against* making Two Worlds your next purchase

Death Note (I) (2017)

Your appreciation of a classic series will suffer if you watch this.

[2/10 · 25 August 2017]

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you combined Napoleon Dynamite with Final Destination? Me neither, but I think I've found the answer. The first ten minutes of the new Death Note film tell us quite clearly who this film is aimed at. People who like teen dramas but are partial to a little gore may like Adam Wingard's adaptation. The rest of us won't. My hopes for the remaining eighty-or-so minutes were set rather low following a poor opening act, and my downgraded expectations – I'm disappointed to say – were completely justified.

The original Death Note had some great characters, but this latest film will probably sour your appreciation of them. What I had in mind when I pictured the Light role was a performance like Rami Malek's in Mr. Robot. Nat Wolff is probably good enough for Paper Towns and similar films, but the character of Light Yagami seems to demand someone of a higher calibre - an actor who's able to convey his character's complexity through expression and convincing delivery.

The blame for Light isn't Wolff's alone to bear; much of it belongs to the writers (the creative talents behind the latest Fantastic Four and the mercifully near-forgotten Immortals). In this film, Light is far too embracing of his overnight-demigod status. We don't see any of the inner moral struggles or self-questioning that really defined the character throughout the original story. The writers seem to acknowledge that there should be a dilemma, and in one blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment we hear Light tell his confidant: "I guess I should feel guilty but don't." That's it, really; from this point on Light is as ethically two-dimensional as the worst 80s' action villains.

Lakeith Stanfield's "L" is perhaps even more of a misfire than Wolff's Light. There's really no sincerity in L's lines, or in Stanfield's delivery of them. The actor seems to pay superficial homage to L with some of the character's recognisable mannerisms, but neither Stanfield nor the writers give us much of an indication of L's brilliance.

The third major performance in Wingard's Death Note belongs to Margaret Qualley who plays Mia, Light's girlfriend. Her character is arguably the most inexplicable and definitely the most unnecessary. Mia – as indicated by her name – seems to be Wingard's take on Misa Amane. The similarities don't extend much further than the forenames. The supporting characters generally do a passable job, but that's all. You may be questioning my failure to mention one of the main selling points of this film – Willem Dafoe's Ryuk. I've omitted it from my review up to now because there isn't much to say.

Fans of the original Death Note may be enticed by the first shots of a discarded apple core, but the iconic shinigami becomes quite a bore as the film progresses. Dafoe is a very good voice actor, but his talents aren't really put to the test here.

The rest of it - music, cinematography, editing and the other more technical aspects of the film - are neither good nor bad. Maybe that's quite a boast, as mediocre is as good as it gets in Wingard's Death Note. I can't honestly recommend this to anyone. It's an inferior product in every conceivable way.

127 Hours (2010)

Effectively simple

[8/10 · 23 March 2017]

How could a director like Danny Boyle hope to make a film about a man who spent five days with his arm trapped under a rock?

This is the question I asked myself when I first heard of '127 Hours', and I asked it again (this time with even greater bewilderment) when I saw how well-received it was. I had numerous opportunities to watch this film over the past six-to-seven years, but I could never convince myself that I'd enjoy it. Then, with little else to watch, I decided to give it a chance. My only regret is that I hadn't given it this chance back in 2010.

There are no surprises to '127 Hours' - no twists, narrative intricacies or other film-making favourites. The expression 'What you see it what you get' applies to this film more than almost any other. In spite of that (or *because* of that, perhaps), '127 Hours' is an exhilarating experience.

James Franco leads the film, joining a small but competent team of supporting actors. I was recently impressed by Franco's acting in the mini-series '11.22.63', but now consider '127 Hours' to be his greatest performance. He captures both the resilience and desperation of his role excellently, and I doubt that a lesser performer could have handled the lead in a film like this.

The visuals are by necessity rather simple, but there are one or two quite memorable scenes, largely due to the sharp camera-work. The editing in the opening and concluding scenes is also commendable.

I don't consider this to be the greatest Danny Boyle film, but it's certainly of an expected quality for those familiar with titles like 'Trainspotting'.