OleFr-Skj Reviews

Megas XLR (2004–2005)

A wonderful load of simple hilarity

[9/10 · 21 November 2016]

Megas XLR is the show for anyone who wants to see giant robots pummel giant monsters, and have fun while doing it.

The main character, Coop, is a slacker living in his mom's basement, who happens upon a discarded giant robot in his local junkyard. He quickly supes it up, with flame tracks, game controls and a shiny red paintjob for the car he uses as the Mecha's cockpit.

It sounds bizarre, and that's because it is. More importantly, the show completely embraces it. There are few hard and fast rules in this cartoon's universe; several episodes end with Coop destroying the entire city as collateral damage, only for everything to be back to normal the next day.

The show has a crude, but jovial sense of humor, and doesn't take itself very seriously, you're supposed to have fun with it. There are a lot of quick "blink and you'll miss it" moments where the creators threw in a joke that has a good chance of at least making you chuckle a little. One standout example is a scene where a fight ends with Coop throwing his enemy into a building, with the sign "Conveniently Empty Building" shown for a brief moment as a nod to the audience. The show also consistently embraces a bizarre kind of logic where Coop's Mech-mounted Car still technically counts as a "car". Because of this, not even Megas is safe from wheel clamps, speeding tickets, or towaways by the DMV.

Aside from Coop himself, the show also stars a hilariously incompetent villain of the overly dramatic variety. He rambles on about how superior he and his alien kin are to the "Primitive Earthers", but is at the same time a massive egotist and drama queen. Coop's own band of heroes includes his buddy jamie, the charmingly funny slacker, and Kiva, the mech pilot from the future and designated (though often ignored) voice of reason who aids Coop in learning the ropes of piloting Megas, and hopefully someday making it back to her own time.

The show's action scenes are big, loud and ludicrous, by design. Here, too, the show embraces it, and gladly gives Megas an impossibly huge amount of firepower, weapons and bizarre gizmos for fighting absolutely whomever would dare oppose Coop and company.

Megas XLR is a show that's great fun to watch. It lampoons a great number of anime clichés, and has fun with its own world and concept. A definite win for this Cartoon buff.

Attack on Titan (2013–2023)

Heavy-handed, over the top and slow, albeit still very entertaining.

[7/10 · 10 November 2014]

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not very well versed in anime, at all. The only anime I'd watched thoroughly before Attack on Titan would be Pokémon back in my younger days and, more recently, Cowboy Bebop, purely because of the glowing praise it received whenever it was brought up.

So Attack on Titan does have the advantage for my part that I don't yet have been exposed to a lot of anime's clichés, but with that said, I still find that the show has several problems that keep it from becoming a staple of the medium.

1) It's very over the top in its delivery. Pretty much all the time there's someone on screen either yelling, acting as if they've just witnessed an earth-shattering revelation or crying their guts out. The main character, Erin Jaeger, is especially bad at this: he only has one emotional setting: he's pi**ed off, and he's nearly always screaming at the top of his lungs. This doesn't make for good storytelling, it's just tiring and sigh-inducing to watch.

2) The heavy-handed-ness. In addition to being very over the top, the show also has a bad habit of taking itself far too seriously a lot of the time, especially when it comes to the characters. This doesn't mesh well with the generally ridiculous action scenes, and makes me almost feel like I'm watching two different shows. When they're not fighting, they're talking, and they talk a LOT. And what they talk about is generally just the same basic issues over and over again: the pointlessness of their fight, humanity's impending doom, a soldier's duty and the prison behind the walls.

These talks tend to either resolve too quickly or go on for too long, getting in the way of enjoying the rest of the show.

3) The slowness. When AoT finally starts to move, it does so at a snail's pace. No less than six episodes are devoted to a single event that's supposed to bring forth an important revelation about the main character. You see it end and you think "wait, we're already past the halfway point?". The show is 25 episodes so far, I get the distinct feeling they could have told this story in maybe half that time.

With all these things said, however, AoT is still well worth a watch if you can stomach these shortcomings. Because the animation and music is absolutely stellar, the action scenes are well choreographed, the world is interesting and the villains genuinely unnerving and terrifying.

7/10

The Lego Movie (2014)

Nostalgic, absurd and touching in all the right ways.

[16 February 2014]

I was originally not very interested to see The LEGO Movie, but slowly but surely curiosity got the better of me, and I decided I wanted to see it. All the positive reception certainly helped.

I have a long, standing history with LEGO, it was pretty much all my childhood consisted of, and even today, it still takes up a lot of my free time.

So I guess there's no surprise that I absolutely loved the movie.

I just love every single thing about The LEGO Movie, the absurd and rapid-fire jokes, the absolutely stellar animation, the incredibly poignant and touching ending, the fact that everything was made out of LEGOs... and let's not forget the great message and the incredibly exciting, energetic feel.

The LEGO Movie has to be seen to be believed, it truly is a movie for all ages, and it doesn't pull any punches.

The LEGO Movie is a surefire 10/10, highly recommended

God, the Devil and Bob (2000)

Very Human

[8/10 · 9 January 2014]

"God, the Devil, and Bob" is one of those things that I'm glad to know exists. Just the fact that somebody came up with the idea of a light- hearted religious spoof is uplifting, given the sort of political correctness we're smothered in today.

That said, taken on its own as a show it's definitely worth a watch: the premise is that God is disappointed in humanity and is contemplating "chucking the whole thing and starting over", naturally the Devil is completely on board with the idea, but God insists that he owes humanity one last chance. If just one soul can prove to him that humanity's decent then he'll spare them, and being a sporting deity, he decides to let the Devil pick this one person. And of course the Devil's choice (completely at random, mind you) is all-around slacker and kind-of-a-dick Bob Allman.

Bob gambles, he drinks, he goes to strip clubs, he's not the sharpest tool in the box, he has a dead-end job that's going nowhere and a family that's falling apart at the seams, all in all he's, as God himself puts it, "not my best work"

Despite Bob's somewhat low moral standards, he still manages to end up doing the right thing in the end, and prove that he recognizes what's really important in life, like family and healthy relations with the people around you.

The real driving force of the show is this clear sense of humanity that comes from Bob "average guy" Allman, in his interactions with his family in particular, where he has to deal with his nagging wife, his spoiled and bratty teenage daughter and his young and inexperienced son. It's Bob's job to complete God's "assignments" to prove humanity's decency, and it usually finds him learning a valuable lesson about family and morality. One particularly effective example of this is in the episode where the Devil quits, taking away all the evil in the whole world. This leaves everyone else but Bob a bunch of "golly gee-whiz" spirits of sugars, spice and everything nice. There's no lust, no anger or jealousy, just happiness, joy and butterflies everywhere.

Bob seeks out God, who explains why the Devil is needed: Humans need to grapple with good and evil in order for their decisions to have weight, without evil being good is meaningless. You get the clear sense that these are real people, dealing with very real problems, and it's a very rewarding experience.

In addition to this, the chemistry between God and the Devil is extremely entertaining. The Devil is less Pure Evil and more Needy Friend here. For example he gets upset when God forgets his birthday or misses their golf date, and God in turn continues to be a distant hippie.

This characterization of God Almighty portrays him as a distant, judgemental and uptight hippie who doesn't really understand what it means to be human. God is, after all, all good, while humans, although generally good, have a bit of evil in them as well.

The show demonstrates an extremely positive attitude towards humanity as well as the idea of God. While this cartoon caricature of God might be flawed, it still portrays him as a loving father who's trying his best to understand what it means to be human, which you can definitely understand when you hear his reason for creating us in the first place.

"Why do you think I created man? To have some company"

Besides, how can you not love God almighty blowing off the Devil by telling him to "go to hell"

Similarly, the Devil takes responsibility for everything evil in the world, like gambling, television (the "one thing he's good at") and insane asylums. Alan Cumming strikes a nice balance between truly malicious and just kind of sad, and the show effectively humanizes both God and the Devil as a Father and Son whose relationship has gone awry.

The Devil: "You don't know what it's like, growing up in his shadow, knowing I could be good but never good enough"

Bob: "You think maybe that's why you turned to Evil?"

I was very sad to see that the fate of this lovely little show had already been sealed. I'm not a very religious person, but nonetheless I was raised in a family who took our relationship to God very seriously, but we all had the good sense to realize that to joke around a little with God and Christianity in general should be okay.

After all, if God didn't want to be laughed at now and then, he wouldn't have given us a sense of humor.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2008–2011)

Creative, fun and refreshingly different. Highly recommended

[9/10 · 22 October 2013]

I'll be the first to admit that I didn't think much of Batman: The Brave and the Bold when I first heard of it. To me it looked exactly like what the dimwitted fanboys ended up accusing it of. My interest was sparked, however slightly, after catching a few episodes, though. I felt I could appreciate what the show was attempting to do; namely it's showcasing of lesser known DC characters like Bluebeetle and Red Tornado.

It was glowing recommendations from various sites that finally persuaded me to give the show a watch, and I can safely say that I haven't had this much fun watching a cartoon in quite a while.

So, what exactly does BBB hide under its campy exterior? Well, first of all a sharp and quite sardonic sense of humor that is more than likely to elicit quite a few chuckles out of you. It takes advantage of the inherent camp that some of its characters provide, and combines it effortlessly with sharp dialogue and great character gags.

And let's talk about that, too: BBB provides some of the best characterizations of lesser known DC characters you will ever get the pleasure of seeing on the small screen. Of particular note is their take on Aquaman: A boastful, bombastic and neverendingly optimistic hunk of a man that treats every day as a new escapade of heroic exploits (even to the point of naming every adventure with a grand title like "Plague of the Planet Master" or "The time Batman almost died"). Not only is he by far the highlight of the show's comedy, but he also manages to contribute meaningfully in several episodes. Finally a cartoon that proves once and for all that Aquaman does not, in fact, "suck".

Other personal highlights include Jamie Reyes; the Blue Beetle. While the contemporary cartoon Young Justice did an ultimately better job delving into Bluebeetle's mythology, I find myself enjoying this particular characterization immensely. Bluebeetle is by far the one hero on the show that I've invested the most time into finding out more about. And I give this show my thanks for introducing me to this particular character's quite fascinating mythos and powerset.

Overall, the show pulls few punches with the amount of characters it throws around. Practically every episode has Batman partner up with some new character from the depths of the DC comics universe, and the vast majority of them are done quite well. This goes for the villains, too although I admit I didn't much care for their interpretation of Martian Manhunter or The Joker. But hey, you're not going to please everyone.

Another highlight of the show is its general tone and feel. Before anything else, BBB is pure, unspoiled, exhilarating fun the likes of which I haven't been able to enjoy in quite a while. Made in a similar style to old-school action-adventure, BBB will keep you thoroughly entertained throughout its 22-minute run. This is not even touching upon the music, which is usually quite well composed and performed. A few songs appear in the show, of particular note Vigilante's big, booming country ballad to Batman titled "Gray and Blue". And of course, Neil Patrick Harris as the musical scourge The Music Meister.

If I did have some criticism, they would have to be about some hit-and- miss episodes and slight character issues. But overall, BBB is creative, fun and a refreshing change from the brooding, dark Batman that's figured so prominently recently.

Pacific Rim (2013)

Pacific Rim defies expectations

[8/10 · 14 August 2013]

In 2013, humanity comes under attack by giant alien behemoths known as "Kaiju", emerging from a portal deep beneath the pacific ocean, costing millions of lives. After the world pools its resources together, the Jaeger program is created as a defense against the Kaiju. The "Jaegers" are powerful mech warriors, each piloted by a crew of two pilots, who have their minds connected to function as one with the Jaeger.

Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam), is one such pilot. Who lands in a slump after losing his older brother to a Kaiju. Several years later, with the Jaegers' efficiency and numbers diminishing and the Kaiju advancing, Raleigh is brought in to pilot his old mech, Gypsy Danger, as part of a last-ditch effort to end the war once and for all.

I went into Pacific Rim having very little prior knowledge of the film. I didn't recognize a single actor, nor had I ever seen any of del Toro's movies before. All I expected to see was giant robots punching sea monsters, hopefully with enough intelligence and conviction to warrant my investment. And while the movie did indeed deliver precisely that, the way it went about it turned out to be a delightful surprise.

What I'm specifically talking about is the setting and story. From the trailers I expected the movie to chronicle the origins of the Jaeger program and humanity's stand against the Kaiju. Instead we get a quite smaller scope, with only four Jaegers appearing throughout the film (two of which get very little screen time). To be quite frank, I was actually expecting an army of Jaegers.

I actually liked this more compressed setting. Because even though it's still huge, it's also different, but in a good way. The smaller scope allows more room for character and, dare I say it, humanity to come into the film, and Guillermo del Toro does not let any of it go to waste.

Like I said earlier, I was seriously bummed that half of the Jaegers were destroyed so quickly. They both looked really cool, and then they were just there for about ten minutes. For example: the three-armed red Jaeger, Crimson Typhoon, was defeated embarrassingly quickly, and it was by far the coolest looking one, too.

I also had a few issues with the pacing. The movie opens with a long- winded narrative which, while it does clearly spell out for you what's happened and what the stakes are, I can't help but feel like there was an entire extra movie that was simply tucked away in there, for little to no reason.

I also noticed was that there were a few instances where the CGI effects got a little overblown, especially during the film's climax. Luckily, these moments were few and far between.

Finally, I found the ending to be a little bit too cheesy for my taste. It's not a huge problem, it just bugged me a little

But with that said, there's just so much to love about Pacific Rim. Probably one of my favorite things was that a lot of the generic action blockbuster tropes show up in the movie, only to be either resolved quickly or taken in an unexpected direction. My personal favorite example is the rivalry between Raleigh and Chuck (one of Striker's pilots). They run afoul of each other because Chuck sees Raleigh as a has-been, and doesn't want him dragging everyone else down, Raleigh in turn is ticked off by Chuck's acting like a spoiled child and in general just being a massive dick. It's a typical machismo rivalry and I was expecting to hate Chuck up until the climax where he'd "redeem" himself.

Not here. The rivalry is quickly resolved when Gypsy saves Striker from a double Kaiju assault, proving that Raleigh's still got it. Over and done with, bravo.

The cast is all-around very competent, and receive enough character for us to actually root for them and wish for their victory. There is a genuine sense of danger when the Jaegers engage the Kaiju, and I did actually fear for their lives on multiple occasions. Again; bravo.

The action scenes are absolutely superb, both well choreographed and visually stunning. They manage to convey a sense of fun that is sorely lacking in entertainment nowadays.

The Kaiju are extraordinarily terrifying, I was actually a bit frightened by them, which I was also very impressed by. This adds to the element of danger and risk for the characters.

In the end, Pacific Rim is big, exciting, thrilling and ultimately just plain fun.

Man of Steel (2013)

The movie that showed me why I love Superman.

[8/10 · 29 June 2013]

I'm not going to go so far as to say I've always been a big Superman fan, but I will say that the Man of Steel has had a not totally insignificant presence in my childhood; a few comic books, the original Superman movie, and, of course, the DCAU have all served to keep me regularly entertained with Superman story lines in at least 15 of my 18 years on this planet that sadly doesn't have the big blue boy scout to look out for it.

I've always found myself a little irritated by people who dislike Superman, and while I'm sure that there are totally legit reasons to dislike Superman, the ones I've heard are rarely of the sort; more inclined to people complaining about how "boring" Superman is, and how "perfect" he is, both of which I find to be completely unfounded.

This movie was very assuring, in a way, it confirmed that my love for Superman wasn't just an immature act of rebellion and will to stand out, since disliking him seems to be the norm.

No, what Man of Steel represents is hope, and faith in mankind's ability to better itself. I've always viewed myself as an optimistic person, and it helped my enjoyment of this movie quite a bit, as its themes resonated very well with me.

The movie also reminded me of another side of Superman that I'd long forgotten: that no matter how much people may love him (as the DC universe's Average Joe is wont to do), and no matter how many allies or friends he may gather, Superman is completely alone in the world, there is no one he can turn to to help carry his burden. Clark was "that weird kid" growing up in Smallville, and he grew up with a constant fear of being rejected.

And despite this, and despite all the power he possesses, he fights for us, he looks out for us, and he does everything in his power to guide our race to a brighter tomorrow. It could've been so easy to abuse his power, and yet he continually dedicates himself to our cause and our future.

It also managed to point out an aspect of Superman that I'd not really considered before, that he's not perfect. I'm assuming that quite a few people died in the movie, and we all know Supes isn't the biggest fan of premature death. On a few occasions he had both the power and opportunity to save them, but he couldn't, because a bigger threat had to be dealt with. But you can be quite sure that he was aware of it, what with those super senses of his; that's got to be bad for your mental well-being.

These are the reasons why Superman is a hero, and the reasons why this movie, and the character, deserve all the praise we can give.

The Emperor's New School (2006–2008)

One of the most successful spin-offs I've ever seen

[9/10 · 19 April 2013]

The Emperor's New School was a hit in my house when it first came out back in 06, everyone loved it. It's by far one of the best shows I remember.

The best part is that, even when watching it again now, I can still totally enjoy it.

What a lot of people seem to miss is that, while Kuzco is admittedly arrogant and egotistical, he is never actually rewarded for this behavior. A perfect example would be in the episode "The bride of Kuzco", where Kuzco almost blows off Malina to get married to a princess, which would instantly make him emperor. By the end, however, Kuzco wises up and apologizes, and finally gets to go on a sort-of-date with Malina.

The show's main focus, however, is comedy. It's very much the same style of humor as the movie, only expanded and refined. A lot of the more famous parts of the movie are expanded into running gags, like the trap lever at the entrance to the secret lab, the roller-coaster, Kuzco pausing the episode, Kuzco being turned into an animal etc. etc.

All that is good stuff, it's not just repeating the same jokes, it's making new material within the same parameters.

The show also has a few other gags that fit in greatly, like how Yzma's "clever" disguise as school principal Amzy always gets Kronk fooled; every time he needs to have it spelled out for him, which allows for great amounts of hilarity.

The show is also fairly self-referential and doesn't steer clear of making fun of itself: there's one episode that starts brilliantly with Kronk and Yzma doing their normal routine, only for Kronk to have a strong sense of Deja Vü. Haven't they done this before? He proceeds to pull the wrong lever, repeatedly, after which this conversation takes place:

Yzma: The other lever

Kronk: Yeah, that's what I'm talking about, it's always the other lever. What are the odds?

I find myself laughing out loud multiple times while watching The Emperor's New School. Much like its "spiritual" Disney Channel predecessor Dave the Barbarian, the show rarely takes itself seriously, and mostly just delivers crazy off-the-wall randomness that's well paced and well acted to boot.

The Emperor's New School is very underrated, and deserves more appreciation

Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! (2004–2006)

One of the most creative and intelligent cartoons of the decade.

[9/10 · 20 March 2013]

"Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go!" is, in spite of outward appearances, an American-produced cartoon series that tells the tale of five bionic monkeys and their teenage human leader, Chiro, as they protect Shuggazoom city from the evil Skeleton King.

Despite having a title and premise that sounds somehow less intelligible than Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Powerpuff Girls and Pokémon combined; S.R.M.T.H.F.G, is a multi-leveled, intelligent and surprisingly complex cartoon. We constantly get hints about the origins of both Chiro and the monkeys, there are references to killing and death, and the show possesses a level of maturity that lets it have some very dark and serious moments when it wants to. In fact, towards the final seasons of the show, it seems to have entirely abandoned the childish aspects for a straight-up dark and moody storyline that feels genuinely suspenseful and gripping.

Each season is its own arc within the bigger plot, with each arc feeding into the next one. This makes the show very continuity-conscious and very rewarding to watch

The show has an overall tone and look that gives of a "Teen Titans"-ey vibe, which is to say that the show knows when to take itself seriously and tone down on comedy.

In a similar vein to shows like Fillmore! and Static Shock, SRMTHFG also provides moral and ethical lessons for kids to learn, there are episodes that deal with fears, about making mistakes and how to own up to them, and the show is not of the kind where the heroes fight without a good reason. Unlike most other shows that do this, it doesn't feel contrived or forced, because it's used to develop the characters or the story, and thus serves a purpose beyond just force-feeding you a lesson.

All the characters are well fleshed out, and as the series progresses we get to see some great relationships develop between them, chief among them the gradual development of a romantic relationship between Sparx and Nova. Otherwise there's a very clear father-son relationship between Antauri and Chiro, and a brotherly relationship between Gibson/Otto and Chiro/Sparx.

The main villain, Skeleton King, is also pretty intimidating (how can you go wrong with Mark Hamill doing the bad guy?), and is a villain of the type you rarely see in kid's shows. He's the type of villain who actually gets sh*t DONE. The Skeleton King actually achieves his ultimate goal before he is defeated.

Most of the voice actors do a good job, and this show has quite the stable of celebrity voices, too. Greg Cipes (Chiro), the previously mentioned Mark Hamill, Kevin Michael Richardson (Antauri), Corey Feldman (Sparx),Tom Kenny (Gibson), Kari Wahlgren (Nova), and Clancy Brown (Otto).

The only real complaints I have is that KMR's performance as Antauri sticks a little too close to his performance as Joker in "The Batman", the animation gets a little wonky at times (there's a healthy use of stock footage), and sometimes, especially in the first season, the show can get pretty stupid, or even a bit disturbing. And of course, the show was cancelled on a spectacular cliffhanger.

If you're in the mood for some creative visuals with a good mix of drama, character and positive messages thrown in, then Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go! has you covered.

Ben 10: Ultimate Alien (2010–2012)

Thank you, Dwayne

[8/10 · 5 March 2013]

Much as I like Ben 10 - and I do - Ultimate Alien wasn't really up my alley when I first saw it. I got on board the Ben 10 train around the time when Dwayne McDuffie took over in 2008. I really enjoyed Alien Force (which remains my "nostalgic" favorite), and have since gotten around to watching the original series, after this, I was confident Ben 10 was a series I liked.

This changed dramatically with the beginning of the third, unscheduled and unplanned for, season of Alien Force. I just couldn't stand Ben's arrogant attitude, and some of the episodes seemed rather stupid. I especially hated how they were basically trying to reset the character dynamics to a somewhat intermediate point between Alien Force and the Original series. To me, it felt like a huge step backwards.

Which leads us to the third rendition, Ben 10: Ultimate Alien. Like before, Ben's arrogance and cocky attitude annoyed me to no end, though the show got better with time. Ben would occasionally display glimpses of maturity/cleverness, and the Aggregor/Ultimate Kevin arc certainly didn't hurt.

UA got better towards the end of the series, and I ultimately figured it was a "decent" show.

After the abomination known as Ben 10: Omniverse made me want to vomit, I went back and rewatched some older Ben 10, realizing how much stronger they were by comparison, all three of them. Somehow, Ben's character grew on me trough this nostalgia trip, and it allowed me to look at the show (UA) as a whole.

While Ben is admittedly cocky, arrogant and comes off as kind of an idiot, once you actually take a real look at the character you realize this is not the case. As Ben himself quite adequately put it in the season 1 finale, once the situation got serious, so would he. This wasn't a one-time occurrence, it's always there; when there's no real threat, Ben doesn't put himself past gorging himself on his fame or enjoying the attention, but he knows when to switch gears and go about things more seriously.

So, what else is there? Well, there's some great humor, for one: Rath is hysterical, Kevin's got a lot of good lines, as does Gwen. Ben less so, but it's there. A lot of his aliens give the writers good material as well.

The animation has also taken a step up, while in Alien Force almost everything took place at night in a big vacant world where there's usually only three or four people, here there's a nice balance between day and night stuff and at least there's people walking by in the background.

In addition, the show retains the darker, more adult edge to it that it first gained in Alien Force. For example, they repeatedly make it clear when characters are killed, explicitly mentioning it and taking no effort to sugarcoat it for its audience, which shows a level of respect for children's intelligence that you generally don't find in a show of this type. The same goes for some of the more intense fights and several emotionally-laden exchanges.

It's also the most ambitious series Ben 10 has ever done; there are multiple format-breakers, among them some episodes where Ben feels like a guest star in his own series. The creators are trusting that their universe is interesting and complex enough to hold our attention without relying on the cosmetic appeal of the titular character. I was especially impressed with the episode "It's not easy being Gwen".

Ultimate Alien seems to me like it's sort of the "Justice League Unlimited" of the franchise, old villains and aliens return, new characters are introduced en masse, other characters are given focus, and the team seems to be handling threats on a wider scale than before. It's the culmination of the Ben 10 mythos, with almost every loose thread from the previous shows getting wrapped up nicely. The show had finally become what it always wanted to be.

Now, the show has its flaws, which are easily noticeable, but they don't break the show.

First off, Ben can still be annoying at times, there's really not much to do about that, though, and as I said, it's not as bad as I initially thought.

Second, some old aliens are neglected while new aliens are thrown in at their expense, like Fasttrack and Eatle, both of which are completely unnecessary, as Ben already had Upchuck and XLR8 at the ready, the latter of whom I miss dearly from the original series.

Then there's other aliens who have no reason whatsoever to not be used, like Eye Guy, and Ben- Wolf, Mummy and Vicktor, as well as Upgrade. Man do I miss Upgrade.

Thirdly, the show isn't without its low points, every series has its share of bad episodes, and Ultimate Alien is no exception. I especially disliked the episode with Ma Vreedle, just an utterly joyless experience from beginning to end

And finally, why is every "beautiful" girl in this show just a carbon copy of Gwen, it gets pretty tiring after a while.

In the end, however, Ben 10: Ultimate Alien is a great show, fantastic for kids and still good enough for older viewers, like me.

All thanks to Man of Action and the late Dwayne McDuffie, you had a great run.

Jul i Skomakergata (1979– )

December doesn't start before I hear that unforgettable theme.

[8/10 · 10 December 2012]

"Jul i Skomakergata" or "Christmas at Shoemaker's Street" is a television Christmas calendar which is fondly remembered and deeply treasured by the older population of Norway. Sadly, the current generation of kids don't know to appreciate it.

NRK (Norway's biggest broadcasting network) aired this piece for the very last time in 2003, announcing that it would never again be shown on television. The reason? Because modern day kids just don't seem to enjoy it.

Granted, you can sort of see why: "Christmas at Shoemaker's street" tells the tale of an old, kind shoemaker named Jens Petrus Andersen, sort of like a Norwegian version of Papa Panov. Good old Andersen is always prepared to lend a helping hand to anyone who needs it. Over the course of the 24-episode series, Andersen counts down the days to Christmas with us, the viewers, while keeping a smile and a friendly gesture handy on every occasion. Which comes very much in handy, considering how nearly every person in the neighborhood decides to drop by his shop for a friendly word and a pat on the back.

Seeing as how this series doesn't consist of anything that draws modern kids in and keeps them invested, it is fitting to see why it was so brutally axed.

Now, don't go ahead assuming I'm a grumpy old man who's just mad at these "damn kids". I'm an 18-year old boy very much in my physical prime. And yet I simply adore this series.

Our family has this series on DVD, and we watch it every Christmas. Every time, we take joy in Andersen's kind demeanor and simple acts of selflessness along with the massive plethora of colorful and memorable characters the series otherwise provides.

Like the flower shop owner "Rosengren" (Rose Branch) who is constantly chased by the colonial owner Mrs. Franzen when he plays a wrong note on his clarinet.

Police Chief "Klinke", who secretly plays Ludo with Andersen once a month.

Truck owner "Hjul Juel", who asks Andersen to hide a gargantuan package for him since he can't hide it from his wife, the intended recipient.

The Mail man, who loves to drop by Andersen for a cup of coffee on his delivery route.

And of course, Tøfflus, Andersen's sentient slipper who lives in his desk and who's favorite food is Parsley. (which is really fun to say and funnier still to type)

There's plenty others, like Mrs. Juniper, Conductor Flag, Baker Snipp etc.

"Christmas at Shoemaker's street" is an unbelievably charming and objectively simple mini series that warms my heart every time.

Taynikma: Legenden om Rax (2012 TV Movie)

Innovative and entertaining

[8/10 · 18 September 2012]

Granted, only the pilot's out, but as a long-time fan of the excellent Taynikma book series, I find there's a lot to like here.

Voice acting was good, the artwork is simply beautiful.

The premise of this series is allegedly going to be about a group of youngsters, one from each clan, who travel to the capital, somewhat- ridiculously-named Klanopolis, to compete in a tournament which serves to determine the next generation of Taytans and the Champion of the Taytans. All this despite the fact that they're not even the chosen representatives of their respective clans.

Sounds like it's going to be good fun to me.

Now, there is this minor problem, which is that the animation style is just... weird.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't dislike it, but I just don't know what to make of it: It's not enough movement to call it a motion comic, it really looks like an animated comic book is what they're going for here.

It'll just take some time to get used to, is what I'm saying

It's an interesting idea, and holds on to Taynikma's tradition of finding new ways to tell a story.

8/10

Red vs. Blue: Rounding Error (2011) Season 9, Episode 1

The successful Machinima series returns to its roots.

[9/10 · 10 September 2012]

Red vs. Blue's 9th season was kind of a mixed experience, but in a good way, as we get two separate story arcs to witness over the course of the season. In each episode, we'll get a little from the first story arc, and a little from the other.

The two story arcs in this season are closely interwoven into the RvB saga as a whole and serve to add a lot of depth to the mythology the series has created.

The first plot is set right where season 8 left off. Church Epsilon has entered the memory unit in search of Tex, and has ended up in a "memory" of Blood Gulch, essentially letting us revisit the day-to-day misadventures of the reds and blues that we love oh so dearly from "The Blood Gulch Chronicles" (that is, season 1-5). Once again we'll rejoice over Caboose's mind-boggling stupidity, Tucker's whining, Donut's questionable pastimes, Sarge's nonsensical metaphors, Lopez's sarcastic nature and so on and so forth.

This arc essentially returns RvB to its proverbial roots back in its early days, and it is a joy to experience.

The second arc continues to detail the past of Project Freelancer. As we get further insight into Tex's origins, what eventually ruined the project, and Carolina's fall from grace. This half of the season is more about action than comedy, but it's some pretty damn good action to boot.

The two arcs combines makes Red vs. Blue: Season 9 a great addition to the RvB saga.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008–2020)

Upon further review...

[7/10 · 8 August 2012]

I originally gave this series an 8/10. But I was kind of on a Star Wars high at the time, and couldn't give the show a fair judgement.

I'm just going to make this review have a point, as opposed to my previous geek-freakout.

THE GOOD

The show's animation is pretty good, it's very fluid and conveys motion really well. I've been told that this show started the current fad with CGI animated cartoons, evident in such shows as Iron Man: Armored Adventures and Green Lantern: TAS, well, now we know why.

There's some pretty good action scenes, and as the show progresses it grows periodically better. I think the point where the show starts to actually get good is season 3, in which there's the Mortis trilogy and the set-up for Darth Maul's return, both of which I thought were a lot of fun.

The show has a lot of good ideas, and some of them make for great episodes, like the aforementioned Mortis Trilogy and also an arc where Obi-Wan goes undercover as a bounty hunter after faking his own death, both of those arcs provided some pretty solid entertainment.

THE BAD

The show maintains a sort of constant cycle of ups and downs, right after a really solid episode, you'll get a really bad one. This problem diminishes as the show progresses, however.

The show reportedly goes out of its way to screw with continuity. I've been told by a reviewer I follow that the show's canon completely contradicts earlier stories set in the clone wars, and while I personally don't take much issue with that, as I've never had any exposure to this content, I can see the problem this poses.

This problem is emphasized by the fact that the show can't keep its own continuity straight either. There are instances where episodes are aired almost in backwards order, this makes for some very awkward plot hiccups, like one in which a senator who was assassinated still shows up a couple times after that.

Also, the show makes little effort to actually introduce the characters. All of the mainstays, Grievous, Kenobi, Anakin, Ventress, are all there right from the start, and none of them are properly introduced in any way. The show is apparently just relying on brand recognition in that respect.

Ultimately, however, because the later seasons are so strong, I'd recommend the show from season 3 onward for Star Wars fans.

Red vs. Blue: For Those of You Just Joining Us... (2010) Season 8, Episode 1

Everyone's favorite incompetent soldiers are back, and still in good form.

[10/10 · 18 June 2012]

Taking off just after the end of Recreation; Church Epsilon, Tucker, Caboose, Sarge and Grif are all preparing to return to Valhalla, unaware that Simmons, Lopez, Donut and Doc have their own problems to deal with back there.

Agent Washington is back, and so is The Meta. Only this time they're working together in the search of the AI fragments, which have somehow gone missing. They're holding Simmons and Doc prisoner, while Donut and Lopez are down for the count.

So yeah, just another convoluted plot that the reds and blues get mixed up in.

As with its predecessors, Reconstruction and Recreation, Revelation takes a darker, more serious and more plot-driven tone than The Blood Gulch Chronicles. This change is probably for the better, as it makes the series more generally entertaining than The Blood Gulch Chronicles was, which was simply a laugh-a-minute story about the most pointless war ever in the history of ever.

Which is not to say Revelation isn't funny, because it most certainly is: Caboose is, as usual, the highlight of how hilariously stupid the show can get, while everyone else also provide tons of laughs with awkward situations, rude gestures and language so profane it would make South Park blush (OK, not really, but you get the idea).

What I just realized is that I find this series incredibly funny, not because of clever scripts or good jokes, but because the characters are just naturally prone to ending up in ridiculous situations and pointless arguments due to their personalities, the jokes practically write themselves by now because the creators have become much more in-tune with the characters.

Probably one of the most rewarding moments is early on when Sarge deduces the situation back at Valhalla through a simple radio conversation with Simmons (who has no way of warning him) and his knowledge of his men's annoying habits:

Grif: Simmons sounded good, I guess he's got everything under control.

And then Sarge comes out of nowhere with this:

Sarge: Donut and Lopez are dead and someone's taken Simmons prisoner.

I just couldn't stop laughing after that scene, what a baffling display of unrealistic skill from Sarge of all people.

Animation has also taken a huge step up, while still mostly operating within the boundaries of the Halo 3 engine, the guys at Rooster Teeth use a lot of neat editing tricks to give the scenes a better flow and there's even some scenes that are done entirely in CGI. Watch the massive fight between Tex and the guys halfway through the season for an example.

That's another thing, as with its two predecessors, action has also improved immensely, now you can expect to see blazing gunfights, vehicle chases, straight up fisticuffs and explosions, which coupled with the series' trademark humor makes this season an addictive ensemble piece of an entertaining action-comedy for a wide spectrum of audiences.

Red vs. Blue: Revelation is a great continuation of the Red vs. Blue saga and definitely worth watching.

Hannah Montana (2006–2011)

If you ignore Miley/Hannah, it actually becomes quite fun, but...

[3/10 · 18 April 2012]

...doing that is next to impossible, considering how outrageously annoying she is.

My point is that Miley is the only truly terrible character on the show, all the others have something that makes them likable: Rico and Jackson are hilarious, Lily is really sweet, Oliver is enjoyably goofy and Robbie (Miley's dad) is just an overall swell guy.

The problem is that Miley, being the main character, basically runs the show into the ground. Her constant use of "Say what?", among other inexcusables (is that a word?) is just so plain annoying that I just get and overwhelming desire to break something. Miley is cruel, egoistic and actually not that cute when you think about it.

One thing I do notice, however, is that the show's basic premise actually isn't half bad, it was just executed badly.

Also, Miley wearing a blonde wig as Hannah is an absolutely ridiculous notion. There is no way she wouldn't be recognized in the real world.

You could argue that her disguise is no worse than any other character with a secret identity, like Superman, but you'd be wrong. Removing Clark Kent's glasses would be like removing the stars from the American flag, so screw suspension of disbelief, Superman predates it. He gets a free pass to be wearing the the same completely unbelievable disguise 70 years later.

Miley, however, does not, not in the slightest.

That said, the show has a fair share of funny moments, mostly thanks to Jackson, Oliver and Mr. Stewart who actually are funny, but for the most part it's cruel, overly sarcastic and learns terrible lessons.

The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (2010–2012)

Finally Marvel's big team has a good cartoon to their name

[9/10 · 11 April 2012]

Both Marvel and DC have to an astonishing degree started to pick up these last few years, with several well-appreciated shows that I really enjoy: Young Justice, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Iron Man: Armored Adventures, Green Lantern TAS, and now this; The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

I'm pretty sure many of you reading this remember when back in 2001, Bruce Timm brought the Justice league into the DC animated universe. And I'm also pretty sure that everyone who does remember, can agree with me that it was an absolutely fantastic show.

Now Marvel's counterpart to the Justice League, The Avengers, have finally gotten a cartoon that really is something to behold.

Let me just make it very clear that I'm not much of a comics reader, pretty much everything I know about pretty much any character from Marvel/DC stem from their incarnations in television.

I'm a 17-year old guy with too much free time on my hands, some of that free time is mostly spent watching cartoons on the internet: more specifically, superhero cartoons.

I have seen superheroes of both Marvel and DC portrayed in wildly different ways on television: from the monumental Timmiverse incarnations of the Justice League and other DC characters, to Teen Titans and The Batman. From The 90s Spider-Man show to X-Men: Evolution

I was only vaguely familiar with most of the characters presented in "TA:EMH", so I didn't know what to expect. In fact, the only one I was at least somewhat familiar with was Iron Man, through the 2008 movie and the TV series "Iron Man: Armored Adventures".

I knew their names, their powers, and their origins, but I had literally nothing to say about their characters.

However, many people say that this show depicts the characters perfectly and 100% faithfully to the source material.

This is a good thing, because that gives me the opportunity to get to know these characters, to learn to understand them and interpret them.

This, coupled with outstanding story lines and great animation, makes "TA:EMH" an absolutely fantastic show that any fan should be able to enjoy.

My personal favorite characters among those I only vaguely knew are probably Ant-Man/Giant Man, and Thor.

I admire Ant-Man's's constant struggle to find "a better way" and his belief in the inherent good in every human being. It's really a great show of character to see him believe that even in such a violent world as the Marvel Universe, it's never too late to start again and try to put your life in line. And he's a good example for the kids watching this show. The kids need good role models too you know.

Thor strikes me as kind of similar to Superman in a lot of ways: noble, kind, powerful. But he's still a very different character. If I may point this out, I'm Norwegian, and it's something infinitely cool about watching one of the deities my ancestors (the vikings) worshipped portrayed as a noble and powerful hero of the modern day. A shame he doesn't offer Norway a thought though, oh well, you can't have everything.

The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes is a monumental cartoon and a great achievement in animation. Absolutely worth watching.

Green Lantern: The Animated Series (2011–2013)

In brightest day, in blackest night...

[9/10 · 8 April 2012]

The new Green Lantern: The Animated series, brought to life by uberscribe Bruce Timm, definitely has the goods.

It has good writing, a decent premise and animation, great voice acting and good character portrayal.

The show's CGI animation is actually not that bad, it grew on me. Hal Jordan's character seems a bit off here, to be honest. Instead of being stiff and serious, he's pretty much a space cowboy. It does feel a bit off, but I'm getting used to it.

All in all, the show has great writing and a strong premise. I really enjoy the show and will be glad to see it run at the very least a couple more seasons.

Hulk Vs. (2009 Video)

The incredible Hulk smashing stuff and beating people up for no reason whatsoever? Works for me.

[7/10 · 8 April 2012]

"Hulk vs.", divided into "Hulk vs. Wolverine" and "Hulk vs. Thor", are, plain and simple, a pair of animated movies each lasting approximately half an hour.

The setup goes like this: In both stories, Hulk and the other titular character are pitted against each other in a massive battle for one reason or another. In both cases, the storyline is practically nonexistent and the main focus lies on Hulk smashing stuff.

In both cases; animation, voice acting, pacing etc. etc. is well done, and makes this simply about an hour of pure entertainment and nothing else.

Aside from the obvious differences, which only consist of where and who Hulk is fighting, there is a slight difference in Hulk's/Bruce Banner's design between the two videos. And that difference is pretty much Hulk's hairstyle and nothing else.

Of course, there are a few other things that distinguish the two movies from each other, I'll do a rundown.

Hulk vs. Wolverine: In this story, Wolverine is brought in to track down a monstrous beast known only as "The Hulk". Of course, he eventually runs across Bruce Banner. The two are kidnapped and brought to Weapon X; the place where Wolverine got his powers in the first place. The scientist who runs the place is planning on taking control of The Hulk and turn him into a weapon. Of course, when Wolverine just happens to be there they grab him too. Then it's basically an escapade of WWF smackdownery leading to Hulk and Wolverine's eventual escape.

One thing I noticed, however: there's lots of blood and gore in this movie, courtesy of so many clawed characters on-screen.

None of the other characters appearing here are terribly remarkable, except for one: Deadpool. Deadpool is just as hilarious here as he is on the comic book page, high points for his "unbreakable skull" experiment.

"BAM. Just kidding"

Now for Hulk vs. Thor. It is winter in Asgard, and the allfather Odin has entered "the Odin sleep" in order to regain his power. During this week-long sleep, Asgard is vulnerable to attack. Naturally, this causes every monster and abomination in near vicinity to make an attempt at trashing the place. But thanks to Thor and a few other warriors, Asgard is kept safe for the 7 days the Odin sleep lasts. Thor's stepbrother Loki, however, has other plans. He tracks down Bruce Banner, because Hulk is the only one to ever defeat Thor. Through an intricate spell, Loki assumes control over the Hulk, and sends him on his way. As expected, Hulk quickly wipes the floor with any other warrior who tries to stop him, then Thor shows up.

Thor and Hulk then duke it out in a massive battle. Things are cut a little close, but everything works out in the end.

Aside from this movie featuring way less severed limbs flying around, there is more of a "doomsday" premise here. If Hulk hadn't been stopped, he most likely would've trashed Asgard and unleashed Ragnarok. So the stakes are higher, while the fight is way less blood and gore and just concentrates on the inherent epicness of pitting Thor and Hulk against each other.

Not much else to say, really. It's just pure entertainment, we were given exactly what we were promised.

All in all, I just think it was fun to watch. Just give it a watch, at the very least you'll have something to kill an hour with.

Iron Man: Armored Adventures (2008–2012)

A fantastic show

[7/10 · 30 March 2012]

Iron Man is one of my favorite superheroes, and actually my second favorite Marvel hero (after Spider-Man). I was one of those people who didn't really know that much about Iron Man before the live action movie. It was a great movie, and it really got me into Iron Man.

As such, I was hoping for some sort of TV show to maybe roll around in the near future, and what I got was "Iron Man: Armored Adventures".

I was initially a bit skeptical, for the same reason as many others: "a teenage Iron Man?" I said to myself, "weird".

Luckily, I'm never the guy to immediately bias myself against something if it seems out of place.

I decided to check other's opinion on the show, the general response was that this was a great show.

As such, I went on the internet and found a site where I could watch it.

Now, all I have to say is: Wow, just, wow.

It is an absolutely amazing show. It is, in essence, Marvel's answer to "Batman Beyond", right down to the original hero being a rich industrialist with hi-tech gadgets at his disposal to fight crime. That description is fitting for both Iron Man and Batman. Granted, this isn't the future, but present day, and Tony is still Iron Man. But in the general sense, it's the same.

It even goes the same way with the plot. "Batman Beyond", often did Batman stories with a younger cast, the same goes for "Iron Man: Armored Adventures". This isn't a bad thing, it's actually pretty great most of the time.

The show's CGI animation does make the characters seem a bit "robotic" at times in their movements. Of course, that's not really a problem as long as Tony and Rhodey are inside their suits as Iron Man and War Machine, then I'd expect them to move like they do. But outside of their armors, Tony, Rhodey and the rest all just seem a bit stiff.

This is a minor problem, however, and is easily forgivable most of the time.

I liked how, aside from Tony, his friends and the Mandarin being younger, the majority of other Marvel characters appearing in the show stays true to their comic book selves. We have traditional versions of Magneto and Dr. Doom for instance, as well as Hulk and Black Widow among others. I just love seeing teenage Tony interact with them.

Of course, they had to change some things. One being the genius twist of making Obadiah Stane the one charged with running Stark International until Tony turns 18. He uses the company's resources to make weapons in order to make money, and Tony can't just sit back and watch.

Another is how the many inventions originally invented by Tony that became the cause of some of his enemies actually going bad in the first place (The Living Laser comes to mind), are here invented by his father instead. Since Tony's father is gone, Tony has to clean up the mess after him.

The show is great fun to watch, and I enjoy it a lot, a great addition to Marvel's roster.

Batman Beyond (1999–2001)

What if Spider-Man was Batman in the future? "Batman Beyond", that's what.

[8/10 · 25 March 2012]

Yes, that is sort of the concept of "Batman Beyond": a wise-cracking teenager balancing his social life with his superhero responsibilities with a cranky old man yelling at him. All the while being mistrusted by the city at large? That's the Spider-Man we all know and love.

Even Terry's rogues gallery is inspired by Spidey's: Stalker is basically a cybernetic Kraven the Hunter, Inque looks visually similar to Venom, Ten of the Royal Flush Gang is the Black Cat and Spellbinder is pretty much a less flamboyant Mysterio.

Heck, he even teams up with the "Terrific Trio" a Johnny Storm-less analogy for the Fantastic Four, and his archenemy is an evil GREEN industrialist.

But that's the beauty of it. "Batman Beyond" combines two of my favorite things, and in the future no less.

Terry McGinnis may not be the best Batman, that'll always be Bruce Wayne, but he is absolutely a worthy successor to Batman.

The show may be kid-oriented, but it has its fair share of dark and mature storytelling, because even as a teenager in a kid's show, Batman is still the goddamn Batman.

Bionicle: The Legend Reborn (2009 Video)

Good, but could've been a lot better

[6/10 · 18 March 2012]

OK, let me just get this out of the way first: "Bionicle" is the one word that pretty much defines my childhood. I grew up with these "some-assembly-required" action figures. Bionicle has been with me since I was 6 years old, and even though Bionicle was ended a few years back, I will always cherish the many memories this franchise has brought me, and I will never forget. Heck, I still keep all the parts and figures I've bought over the years, they're in a large box under my bed, and hardly a week goes by without me taking it out and just playing around with them again.

Anyway, let's get on with the review: I was really excited to see the recent Bara Magna storyline be wrapped up with a movie. It isn't the first time Bionicle has been brought to the big screen, but it will probably be the last.

The movie does a good job of portraying the characters and bringing them to life: Mata Nui acts appropriately out-of-place for a god that has been banished from his own universe, Ackar plays the "old sage" role well, Kiina is the cheerful and confident one, while Gresh is the inexperienced hothead. The characters are mostly well done, but I do have complaints: Tuma and the Skrall.

When Mata Nui And Tuma fight at what is supposedly the movie's climax, Tuman waltzes around and brags without paying attention, letting Mata Nui exploit a weakness that doesn't even make any sense.

Also, since when did the Skrall mysteriously lose the ability to talk? Not a single Skrall in the entire movie said a word, just grunts and growls, coming off like they were some sort of heavily confused Brakas monkeys(gotta love Bionicle references).

Voice acting, however, is well done: James Arnold Taylor I already know thanks to me being a huge fan of the Ratchet & Clank series of games, and he does a great job of making Berix the movie's source of comic relief. The rest of the cast is also great at their jobs.

The characters in the movie and the environments are well designed, they way the gears in the character's bodies swirl around is a nice touch of realism, and their designs stay true to their real-life toy counterparts.

The storyline is one of the weaker aspects, but Mata Nui manages to carve his own niche in the legacy of heroes that Bionicle has produced over the years, but aside from this the story is pretty weak.

For starters, it fails to stand on its own merits: In order to really understand what's going on you'll need some background, it's hard to get a grasp without an extensive knowledge of the Bionicle lore. Since I've been following Bionicle ever since its very beginning, I had no problems with this, but I came across many scenes in the movie where I only felt like I knew what was going on because I knew the backstory.

Second: The story is linear and predictable, even if you don't know the backstory. We Bionicle fans already knew Metus was a traitor beforehand, since it had been revealed in an earlier web-story, but I couldn't shake the feeling that even if I didn't know, I probably would've figured it out rather quickly.

Thirdly: The movie doesn't really feature a satisfying ending for casual movie fans. Granted, the story is continued on Bionicle's websites, but as a stand-alone story the ending leaves you with a lot of questions that will pretty much go unanswered.

As for the animation and camera work, action sequences and so on, I can only say one thing: "LAZY"

The movie's fight scenes usually just feature characters banging swords and shields for the most part, although the initial battle between Strakk and Ackar wasn't too shabby. The second Glatorian duel between Tarix and Vastus, on the other hand, is rather baffling, are they fighting or performing exceedingly violent aerobics?

The same goes for the huge battle at the movie's climax. According to pretty much every piece of Bionicle lore outside of the movie, the Skrall were supposed to be incredibly fierce warriors that were unbeatable in the arena, so why does it all of a sudden seem like they're a bunch of dimwitted grunts who hardly know how to swing a sword? This is the kind of stuff I'm left wondering about.

I had an easier time enjoying the movie because I was familiar with Bionicle, but that's cold comfort I suppose.