2018 - The Highlights (EHeroFlareNeos)

With 2019 approaching, now’s the perfect time to reflect back on the highs and lows in 2018 entertainment, in no particular order. I didn’t play as many new games this year, but the movie category has more than enough to make up for it, plus the return of the Worst Movie and Worst Game categories, reserved only for the particularly horrible.

Top Movies of 2018

Avengers: Infinity War

After ten years of commitment to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Infinity War made the journey feel worth it. Thanos was fleshed out to a greater extent than his previous appearances and the story is surprisingly tragic in its development and conclusion, all while teasing the true finale, now known as Avengers: Endgame. Perhaps the only thing holding this movie back, however, is the fact that, for better or worse, a complete understanding of the events in Infinity War requires knowledge of all 18 previous MCU movies.

Deadpool 2

Deadpool 2 is an R-Rated superhero film, and sequel, done right. It’s hilarious like the original, but is also able to couple that with a story that explores more of the tragic aspect of Deadpool. Two recuts would follow, Deadpool 2 Super Duper Cut and Once Upon a Deadpool, and while they are enjoyable in their own right, neither of them can quite top the original theatrical cut.

Game Night

Despite releasing in February, Game Night was the comedic gem the trailers made it out to be. The premise of a game night gone wrong went a long way thanks to clever writing and smart, well-timed humor backed by talented actors. Definitely worth watching more than once.

Christopher Robin

Though lumped in with all of the live-action Disney remakes, Christopher Robin is actually more of a continuation of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh that explores how Christopher Robin’s life turned out after going off to boarding school and serving in the war. While not perfect, Christopher Robin is a welcome, optimistic change of pace.

Bumblebee

Given the dwindling reception of the previous live-action Transformers films, Bumblebee managed to finally do the property justice. Thanks largely to a change in director, Travis Knight instead of Michael Bay, as well as a tighter script and relatively conservative use of special effects, it’s now possible to wholly enjoy a Transformers movie as a movie rather than a guilty pleasure at best.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Considering the reception to Sony’s take on Spider-Man after Sam Raimi’s trilogy and the poor reputation of their animation studio, it’s amazing that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse turned out as well as it did. Into the Spider-Verse offers a refreshing take on the property with stellar animation and a well-written story, as well as featuring Miles Morales as the main character. Whether you’re familiar with Spider-Man films or not, this is a movie you don’t want to miss.

Top Games of 2018

Dragon Ball FighterZ

After decades of attempts at perfecting a Dragon Ball fighting game, FighterZ feels like the one that finally got it right, courtesy of Arc System Works. The attention to detail, including individual character animations and an art style that looks exactly like the anime, is what helps sell the presentation, which is fortunately coupled with gameplay mechanics that are focused more on competitive viability rather than fanservice. Playing Dragon Ball FighterZ is a worthwhile experience, especially if you’re a Dragon Ball fan.

God of War (2018)

While the God of War series is an all-time classic, the games went on long enough that the formula was getting stale. Enter God of War (2018), which managed to find a way to breathe new life into the franchise. Though there are legitimate criticisms, this game’s take on an older Kratos, the new approach to combat and the exploration of Norse mythology, as opposed to Greek mythology, are nonetheless captivating and the sequel hook at the end felt very much earned. Simply put, it’s a must-play game for PS4 owners.

Deltarune Chapter 1

After the sleeper hit that was Undertale, TobyFox has proven that he is capable of even more with the surprise release of Deltarune Chapter 1. While the story is sort of a compressed version of Undertale, the party-style combat system is a natural expansion of the unique TPS/Bullet Hell hybrid of its predecessor, the combat sprites are colorful and more detailed and the new characters are written so well that they leave a lasting impression even months after you finish your first playthrough. Hopefully, TobyFox finds the resources necessary to deliver on additional chapters of Deltarune in the future.

Top Disappointments of 2018

Solo: A Star Wars Story

I wasn’t that enthusiastic about Solo based on the initial trailers and the reports of a troubled production and actually watching it didn’t do much to change my mind. It’s by no means a bad movie, but the story is weakened by its use of Expanded Universe lore, something that maybe only a fraction of fans would’ve been invested in from the get-go, plus the fact that the actors seem more like they’re playing dress up. Add in a hook for a sequel that’s never going to happen and you’re left walking away with a feeling of emptiness.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

I wasn’t the biggest fan of Jurassic Park going in, since the premise is pretty dumb when you think about it, but I still enjoyed certain aspects of Jurassic Park and Jurassic World and hoped Fallen Kingdom would be an improvement. Unfortunately, it’s anything but, largely due to poor logic and terrible decisions on part of the characters. I don’t know why they ever thought keeping the dinosaurs alive was a good idea, but if the teased sequel ever comes to pass, then hopefully, by some miracle, the characters finally come to their senses.

Ralph Breaks the Internet

For a movie as good as the original Wreck-It Ralph, I didn’t expect Ralph Breaks the Internet to be so disappointing. Where the original was very well-written and executed, the sequel feels like more of a quick cash grab so that Disney could spend a good chunk of the movie advertising all of their properties. The characters are a little more self-absorbed, the writing relies too much on ignoring the consequences that the original revolved around and film’s interpretation of internet culture will unfortunately date the movie within a few years, in spite of how clever some of the references can get. Unlike the original, this one is more of a take-it-or-leave-it.

Worst Movie of 2018

The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time

I don’t know how it was possible, but the Sharknado franchise somehow got even worse in its final installment. With rocky time travel logic, a number of Z-list cameos, terrible special effects, an abundance of anachronisms and a wholly unsatisfying ending, only Sharknado die-hards will find The Last Sharknado even remotely entertaining.

Worst Game of 2018

The Quiet Man

There’s no way to really sugarcoat this, but The Quiet Man is one of the worst games I’ve ever played. It’s a three-hour movie with some buggy, glitch-ridden brawler segments tacked on so that it can just barely qualify as a game. It fails as a movie because you need to sit through an indecipherable mess to view The Quiet Man -Answered-, a marginal improvement that elevates it to merely an unwatchable mess, and it fails as a game because of tedious and grindy combat sequences with poorly explained mechanics and missing animations that cause both Dane and the enemies to teleport everywhere. Add to that the ugly graphics and terrible soundtrack and you get a “game” that you are honestly better off experiencing through a Let’s Play on YouTube. Even then, however, there are far better things you could do with three to six precious hours of your life.

The Last Sharknado: It's About Time - History's Biggest Disaster Comes To An End

Note: This review contains spoilers for Sharknado 5: Global Swarming.

After six years and an equal number of installments, The Asylum’s Sharknado hexalogy has reached its conclusion with The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time. While the series was once able to attract an audience based on how over-the-top bad it was, successive installments would continue to lower the bar until it truly needed to be put out of its misery. Unfortunately, The Last Sharknado does nothing to fix the downward trend of the series, nor could it ever hope to recapture the glory of the first installment.

Following the ending of Sharknado 5: Global Swarming, Fin Shepard (Ian Ziering) is taken back in time to the period of the dinosaurs with the aid of his grown son, Gil (Dolph Lundgren), who is unable to join him because, as Gil (Brendan Petrizzo and M. Steven Felty) tells him, you can only travel back in time once. While there, Fin meets up with Nova Clarke (Cassandra Scerbo), Bryan (Judah Friedlander) and April Wexler (Tara Reid), all of whom were pulled backward in time by Gil before they could die in previous movies so that they could destroy the first Sharknado and return time back to normal. Killing the Sharknado in the past, however, creates a Timenado, a wormhole that Fin and crew must now continue to travel through in order to destroy various Sharknados throughout history before the sharks can cause irreparable damage to the timestream.

The story and plot are, naturally, almost hard to sit through. The various time periods usually contain some form of anachronism, most noticeably within the already non-existent Arthurian time period, in which Excalibur is a chainsaw and Morgana Le Fay (Alaska) speaks in a modern tongue. Additionally, the rules of time travel are rather inconsistent and difficult to figure out when placed within the context of the film. A few plot twists which pop up later in the movie are also so ridiculous that they feel out of left field and, as such, elicit more groans than they do laughs.

What doesn’t help the movie are the incredibly forced pop culture references, including, but not limited to, The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), The Wizard of Oz (1939), Back to the Future (1985) and the works of Twisted Sister and The Offspring. Then there’s the traditionally terrible special effects, which have now gotten so bad that one sequence towards the end of the movie has incredibly obvious greenscreen due to bad chroma keying, something which even the worst Sharknado effects did a better job of covering up.

Lastly, we have the obligatory celebrity cameos, however it seems that they were truly scraping the bottom of the barrel this time, even picking up wood shavings. Here, we have appearances from such names as Neil deGrasse Tyson, Darrell Hammond, Dee Snider, Bo Derek, La Toya Jackson and RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Alaska, along with the return of Gary Busey, Gilbert Gottfried and Al Roker.

The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time is easily one of the worst Sharknado movies, if not the worst. A terrible story with an equally terrible plotline, more forced references, somehow even worse special effects than Sharknado 5: Global Swarming and a completely unsatisfying ending. Only those who have been keeping up with the series for this long should consider watching it, and even then, you may feel like you’ve wasted your time. In any case, I’m glad that we’re finally done with Sharknado movies, at least for now.

Sharknado: The 4th Awakens - It Jumped the Shark

Note: This review contains spoilers related to Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (2015) and Sharknado: The 4th Awakens (2016).

In 2016, SYFY aired the fourth installment of the Sharknado film series by The Asylum. We somehow did not review the movie during that year, so we decided to review it close to the airing of the grand finale of the series, The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time, in order to finally fill in the unsightly gap in our Sharknado reviews.

Five years have passed since the ending of Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (2015) and the world has been Sharknado-free thanks to technology developed by Astro-X’s Astro Pods, developed by tech mogul Aston Reynolds (Tommy Davidson); Astro-X had also developed a new type of shuttle that recovered Fin’s father, Col. Gilbert Shepherd (David Hasselhoff), from the moon. Fin Shepard (Ian Ziering) has also moved into a farm in Kansas, “April’s Acres”, where he lives with his mother Raye (Cheryl Tiegs) and son Gil (Christopher and Nicholas Shone). During the opening night of a shark-themed hotel in Las Vegas, which inexplicably houses a giant tank of sharks, a new Sharknado forms within the city, but the Astro Pods can’t stop it, since it wasn’t created from water. With the world once more in danger from the Sharknado phenomenon, Fin must once again step up to save the world.

The plot which follows is so ridiculous that I genuinely facepalmed a few times. Not only can a Sharknado now spontaneously occur without a body of water, but it can absorb the elements to become a new type of -nado. One chain of -nado transformations is a Bouldernado, which turns into an Oilnado, which then catches fire and becomes a Firenado. This Firenado is then extinguished (by exploding fire extinguishers, naturally) and touches some power lines to become a Lightningnado; we were disappointed they didn’t instead call it a Shocknado, but that might’ve been too clever for the writers. The ultimate of these transformations is a Nuclearnado/Nukenado, which contains so much concentrated radiation that the main cast should’ve honestly died from coming into contact with it.

While Fin is out fighting the -nados, the movie goes through two sub-plots. The first involves the revelation that April Wexler (Tara Reid) had not only survived the ending of the previous movie, but had also been turned into a cyborg by her father, Wilford (Gary Busey), in order to keep her alive. This sub-plot is the closest the movie gets to having familial conflict, but the context in which it's presented means it’s hard to take at all seriously. The other involves Aston and Col. Gilbert working on potential solutions for fighting the -nados, which includes introducing new isotopes to the Astro Pods (sure) and the construction of a wearable mech suit. This sub-plot, though heavily involved in the story, relies on the audience taking everything the characters say at face value.

In general, however, Sharknado 4 relies on breaking conventional logic just so the story can continue, which includes Gil surviving a Nukenado by hiding in a regular wooden barrel. The plot is also littered with convenience and contrivance, especially the final scene, in which it’s revealed that not only did Fin’s immediate family survive the events of the movie despite almost all of them being eaten by sharks, but all of the sharks involved within a chain of sharks being consumed by ever larger sharks (matryoshka sharks, if you will), culminating in a random blue whale, happened to all be the same sharks that consumed the Shepard family.

As is natural for the Sharknado series, there are plenty of pop culture references peppered in. However, the references in this movie feel incredibly forced and a lot of movie quotes often feel completely out of place, as they are completely removed from any context in which they would work. Some of the more obvious references include those related to then-relevant Star Wars Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015), such as a Star Wars-esque opening title crawl and a chainsaw weapon modeled after Kylo Ren’s lightsaber, not to mention April being able to wield an actual lightsaber. One other notable reference is several related to The Wizard of Oz (1939), if only because of how long and dragged out it is. At this point, the movie even has the gall to point out how ridiculous it is:

Fin: “Follow the road! Follow the yellow brick road! I can’t believe I just said that.”

This, of course, does not excuse the fact they still went for it.

Apart from the incredibly bad special effects, and not in the fun way, there are plenty of celebrity cameos. However, these cameos are generally of a decidedly lower tier than its predecessors. Some of these include David Hasselhoff, Gary Busey, Carrot Top, Gilbert Gottfried, Steve Guttenberg, Vince Neil, Corey Taylor, Dr. Drew Pinsky and Adrian Zmed, although we also see the return of Al Roker and the inexplicable addition of Chippendales strippers (notable by virtue of their prominence in the first act). Many of the celebrities are also either crushed or eaten by sharks, including Carrot Top (probably his best act in years). I’ll also mention here that the movie can be very brazen and in-your-face with its product placement, most notably Xfinity, since they reference it by name, show off a voice-controlled remote feature and almost literally rub the logo in your face.

Before I end, I'll note that if there are any fans of Lavalantula (2015), this film seems to make a reference to it that implies it's within the same universe as Sharknado.

Sharknado: The 4th Awakens marks a clear turning point in the Sharknado franchise. The story and plot are too ridiculous for their own good, the special effects are laughably bad and the references and product placement are too forced and unnatural. It may be better than its successor, Sharknado 5: Global Swarming (2017), but that doesn’t take away from the fact that a franchise entirely about sharks had somehow managed to jump the shark.

2017 - The Highlights (Tetris_King)

With another year drawing to a close, it is once again time to reflect on what we did and did not like about it. As with last year, a large number of new movies were watched and a good amount of new games were played, resulting in a rather lengthy list I found difficult to trim down. Much like last year, due to the high volume of movies from this year that I actually enjoyed, I have split my top movies of the year between live-action and animation. As per usual, the lists below are presented in no particular order, with links to reviews on the blog where applicable.

Top Live-Action Movies of 2017

Wonder Woman

After a few missteps while struggling to keep up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it looks like the DC Extended Universe may finally be headed in the right direction. Wonder Woman succeeds where it predecessors failed, providing an enjoyable experience with an overall more light-hearted tone and a hero you actually want to root for. With a sequel set for release in a couple years, hopefully the DCEU can live up to what Wonder Woman has to offer.

Transformers: The Last Knight

Beginning from this movie, the Transformers Live-Action Film Series is set to become its own Cinematic Universe. Having been hyped enough to attend a special early screening, I found myself enjoying the film in spite of its flaws (more on that below). While the movie has a lot of plot in it, the well-placed humor and world-building (including borrowing elements from the “Aligned” continuity) kept my interest throughout. If the upcoming Bumblebee: The Movie, to be directed by Laika alumni Travis Knight, is any good, then the new Cinematic Universe might turn out well in the end.

Logan

Another R-rated X-Men movie produced after the success of Deadpool, Logan puts the spotlight on Wolverine once again, this time taking place in a future without mutants as he winds up protecting both an out-of-control Charles Xavier and a small child with mutant powers similar to his own as they make their way to a supposed mutant sanctuary. Logan manages to both tell a well-written mature story and make itself accessible to newcomers, meaning you do not need to have seen any of the previous X-Men movies to follow along. In short, Logan is a mature comic book movie done right, as well as a great movie on its own merits. The black-and-white version, Logan Noir (included with the Blu-ray), is also worth a viewing, since, though telling the same story, it offers a much different experience.

Wonderstruck

Having enjoyed Hugo, I was intrigued to find out another Brian Selznick book was being adapted, to the point where I bought the book at the signing I was at and read it shortly thereafter. The movie, written by Selznick, is not only a streamlined, faithful adaptation of the book, it also tells a rather engaging story that makes it an enjoyable movie in its own right (though it does drag a little bit in one spot). It doesn’t have the same tone or style as Hugo, however I loved Wonderstruck all the same.

Thor: Ragnarok

The Thor movies have never been the strongest movies in the MCU for me, and so this newest entry caught me by surprise. Not only is this movie highly entertaining to watch, I would honestly consider it one of the best movies of Phase 3 so far. It breathes new life into the Thor sub-series by not taking itself entirely seriously, with moments of genuine humor found all throughout the movie as well as some new development on the Hulk. Only time will tell if this new take on the God of Thunder will carry over into the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War.

Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi

Following up on The Force Awakens, this movie picks up where it left off and provides a lot more insight into Rey and Kylo Ren. As with Transformers: The Last Knight, a lot of events transpire in this movie, some of which could arguably have been shortened a little, however I found the story engaging and found myself overall enjoying it. It’s not exactly the best Star Wars movie one could hope for, however it is worth watching, especially if you want to see the late Carrie Fisher play Princess Leia one last time.

Top Animated Movies of 2017

Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions

As a Yu-Gi-Oh! fan, I was already looking forward to this movie upon learning details at a Comic-Con panel featuring creator Kazuki Takahashi himself. Taking place after the end of the original manga, the movie introduces a new villain, Aigami, while placing the spotlight on Seto Kaiba and his growing ambitions to defeat the Pharaoh in a Duel. The movie is animated spectacularly and gives some good character development to both Yugi and Kaiba as they head towards their future goals, plus it was actually nice to hear the English voice actors reprise their roles once more. Aigami is also given some good development for a movie-exclusive character, which is more than I can say for Anubis from the Pyramid of Light movie, though even as a Yu-Gi-Oh! fan I couldn’t quite understand how Dimension Dueling, Aigami’s preferred method, worked exactly. Still, the movie is highly entertaining for existing fans of the series and is worth a look.

Your Name.

My interest in this movie came from hearing how successful and highly praised this boy-meets-girl story was in its native Japan, and so I took the chance to view it as part of a limited theatrical run. I could see where the praise was coming from, as I got emotionally invested in both the plot and characters. I don’t want to give anything away, though I would consider Your Name. a must-see anime film.

Loving Vincent

This movie’s premise is rather interesting, telling the story of someone investigating renowned artist Vincent van Gogh’s final days and getting multiple viewpoints on how his death played out. While the story is very engaging, the main draw is the movie’s animation style, being animated entirely using 65,000+ paintings that emulate van Gogh’s particular painting style to amazing effect. This, combined with imagery and characters inspired by the subjects of van Gogh’s paintings, creates a very immersive world that you’ll want to visit again.

Top Games of 2017

Little Nightmares

Little Nightmares is a horror game that’s very effective at building up and maintaining an atmosphere throughout. While not the type of horror you can find in Resident Evil 7, this game goes more for the psychological, and the overall design and aesthetic contribute to this expertly well to create a very unnerving experience. With a string of DLC and a comic book currently being rolled out, this is an experience I’d gladly revisit once it’s all been made available.

Puyo Puyo Tetris

In a rather unexpected crossover, the Puyo Puyo and Tetris puzzle game series have come together for the first time, delivering normal Puyo Puyo and Tetris gameplay in addition to a number of other game modes (including a mode that combines the two games together). The music and sound design are also good, as is a surprisingly entertaining story mode featuring Puyo Puyo characters meeting a new set of characters representing Tetris. Though I had more fun with the Tetris segments due to personal skill level, I did find myself getting the hang of Puyo Puyo’s gameplay over time, which helped me get more into the other game modes. This is a great game for puzzle fans, especially for those who enjoy Tetris and/or Puyo Puyo.

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy

Having never played any of the Crash Bandicoot games prior to this collection (unless the cameo in Skylanders: Imaginators counts), I found myself really enjoying it. Though difficult, the three games in this collection have a world and characters that keep you wanting more even in the face of failure, especially in regards to the first installment. With intricately remade graphics, great voice acting and a catchy soundtrack that doesn’t stop, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is the perfect starting point for any new Crash Bandicoot fan.

Cuphead

Before this game was released, I was hyped up by the art direction alone, taking inspiration from 1930’s cartoons and being animated entirely by hand. The game itself has a very strong difficulty curve, however beating a boss to get their Soul Contract is very satisfying and makes you want to go back for more. The visuals capture the 1930’s aesthetic very faithfully, which, along with the gameplay, make the game’s lengthy development cycle worth it. Regardless of whether you're in it for the gameplay, the animation is something that would make me recommend it to those who are fans of this particular style or possibly even animation students looking to study said style.

Top Disappointments of 2017

Transformers: The Last Knight

In spite of my praise for this movie above, I recognize the movie has some issues. Aside from any plot holes (one being Bumblebee’s new ability to Iron Giant himself back together to sell more toys), the movie has an overabundance of story, including a whole Suicide Squad-style sequence that ultimately goes nowhere, and so things could have easily been cut to shorten the run time. There’s also admittedly an overabundance of new characters, most of which don’t even have toys to sell, and the short screen time for many of them makes it a little difficult to care. Regardless, the next two films, one of which centers on Bumblebee, have a chance to rectify where this one went wrong.

Despicable Me 3

After the disappointment of Minions, Illumination had the opportunity to steer the Despicable Me franchise back on track. Unfortunately, while somewhat better than Minions, this movie suffers from an overabundance of sub-plots, leaving not much room for development for either characters or story and lowering my expectations for a teased fourth installment. The only real saving grace of the movie is Trey Parker as the entertaining villain Balthazar Bratt, and even then, his performance alone could not salvage it.

Sharknado 5: Global Swarming

The Sharknado series began as a funny joke, however that joke has probably more than run its course. While it may have been able to sustain itself for 3 movies and pushed it a bit with 4, the fifth annual installment, Global Swarming, fails to really capture the same enjoyment, relying more heavily on B-list cameos, plot contrivances, shoe-horned references and ripping off better movies to keep swimming. Though the ending teases the inevitable Sharknado 6, it seems like it may be time for this shark to finally stop swimming.

Ghost in the Shell (2017)

I’ll admit my experience with Ghost in the Shell lies mainly within the 1995 animated feature and the Stand Alone Complex (SAC) anime series, however I actually enjoyed those unlike this movie. Casting controversies aside, the 2017 movie manages to capture the look of Ghost in the Shell, though I can’t say the same about the feel. It does take some scenes from the 1995 movie almost wholesale to try and ground it within that setting (while also borrowing elements from SAC), however it can’t seem to decide whether it wants to be a remake or tell an original story, overall just falling short of its real potential. If you’re looking to have a good time with Ghost in the Shell, you may as well just stick with the 1995 movie instead.

Justice League

After Wonder Woman pushed the DCEU in the right direction, Justice League feels more like a step back. Odd villain choice aside, the movie attempts to emulate the MCU’s The Avengers without understanding exactly what made it work so well, establishing a team before many of the individual members rather than the other way around. There is some humor in places and the movie is overall a major step up from Batman v Superman, however that isn’t saying much and it overall wasn’t as fun as the movie it was trying to copy. The upcoming Aquaman movie has some promise to turn things back around, hopefully borrowing more from Wonder Woman rather than this film.

Honorable Mentions

The Hitman’s Bodyguard

Though a bit of a sleeper movie, The Hitman’s Bodyguard is one that I found rather enjoyable. The main draw though is that it co-stars both Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson, each essentially playing a version of their most famous characters (Wade Wilson/Deadpool and Nick Fury, respectively); the two of them have surprisingly good chemistry together, their characters being good foils for each other. It’s not likely the two will share a movie like this again (pending company merger notwithstanding), though in any case it’s still worth a viewing.

Skylar & Plux: Adventure on Clover Island

Another game in the recent 3D platformer revival boom, what attracted me to this particular title was, in addition to the art direction, the ability to manipulate time to solve puzzles. Though it has some shortcomings (including some technical issues), the game is actually pretty enjoyable and I found the approach to puzzle-solving interesting. While not perfect, the game presents enough potential for a follow-up title, though whether the developer will tap into this potential remains to be seen.

Rime

While I was once again captivated by the art direction, what interested me was the idea of exploring an island and solving puzzles (though it presents itself in a more linear, story-focused fashion). The puzzles can get a little difficult, however this did not stop me as I wanted to get through it and discover what the island was all about. These puzzles, coupled with a powerful ending (plus one of the best tutorials I have ever seen), make Rime definitely worth a look.

Review Hub - Sharknado

Before its initial airing on SyFy Channel in 2013, I had first heard about the original Sharknado at San Diego Comic-Con that year, as no doubt many others had, leading to some legitimate curiosity as to what the movie could possibly be. The premise alone created a lot of media buzz, and once it finally aired it proved to be a massive hit due to its enjoyably bad nature. This of course led to sequels that have been released on an annual basis, as well as some expansion into other media, including getting its own Pop! Vinyl by Funko and, of all things, a brief stint in comics in the form of a one-off crossover with Archie.

Not even Riverdale is safe. (Yes, this was a real
one-shot that got published.)

Though the quality of the sequels is debatable, we at this blog remain devoted to watching each movie as it comes out and giving our opinions on them if able. Below is a list of every Sharknado review up to this point, listed by order of release.

(Note: Though we have not yet reviewed Sharknado: The 4th Awakens, it is listed here anyway for completeness.)

Update (8/19/2018): Added Sharknado: The 4th Awakens

Update (8/20/2018): Added The Last Sharknado: It's About Time

Sharknado
Sharknado 2: The Second One
Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!
Sharknado: The 4th Awakens
Sharknado 5: Global Swarming
The Last Sharknado: It's About Time

Sharknado 5: Global Swarming - #MakeSharknadoGreatAgain

This year, Syfy continues its annual tradition of airing another installment in the Sharknado franchise. While the first three enjoyably reveled in the depths of absurdity, the fourth one is when the series began to outstay its welcome, with a plot that stretched suspension of disbelief too thin even for a Sharknado movie and cameos from increasingly lower-tier celebrities. This trend continues with Sharknado 5: Global Swarming, which wasn’t “so bad, it’s good” so much as it was just straight up bad.

An undisclosed amount of time after the events of Sharknado: The 4th Awakens, Fin Shepard (Ian Ziering) and his family are summoned to London to speak with NATO about the Sharknados. Almost as soon as he arrives, Fin is contacted by Nova (Cassie Scerbo) and asked to explore a passage underneath Stonehenge to look for an ancient artifact that may be connected with the Sharknados. After a sequence ripped straight out of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Fin and Nova retrieve the artifact, which triggers a collapse that sinks Stonehenge before summoning a Sharknado that devastates part of London. As Fin battles the Sharknado, his son, Gil (Billy Barratt), who is wearing a helmet that protects him from sharks and severe weather, becomes trapped in the storm and vanishes along with it. With Nova’s help, Fin and his wife, April (Tara Reid), follow the chaotic storm around the world in an attempt to rescue their son and prevent the Sharknado from growing stronger.

The story is painful to watch, as it not only starts with the protagonists unwittingly creating the initial Sharknado, it also relies on poor logic to move itself forward. There are a lot of inexplicable conveniences made solely to protect Fin from dying, such as the Sidney Opera House transforming into a battle station, or give him additional power, such as the Pope (Fabio) giving him a super powerful chainsaw. When the protagonists are given the solution, they don’t use it and instead opt for one which involves a severe anachronism and there is a subplot where someone steals the artifact (for no discernable reason) that only exists to create unnecessary drama. This concludes with an ending that, while surprisingly dark, rips off another famous movie and somehow manages to set up a sixth installment. It’s also hard to care about any of the characters during the movie, as it’s painfully obvious that Fin is going to survive the whole ordeal and that nearly anyone else who shows up is most likely going to get squashed or eaten by a random shark.

On top of the painful story, there are the obligatory cameos from mostly lower-tier celebrities. While any of the cameos are subjective in their enjoyment, I personally liked the cameo by Tony Hawk, especially since he is one of the few who isn’t directly killed by a shark. There are also more appearances by real-life news anchors, who seemed to trade some of their dignity for a chance to report on the chaotic Sharknado devastating the globe. In spite of anyone’s ability, however, just about everyone still falls under the plague of stiff and wooden acting that permeates the film as a whole.

On a technical level, it’s a given that the CGI is terrible and the special effects are incredibly fake-looking. In the case of Sharknado 5, there is possibly an overabundance of special effects, even for a Sharknado movie, which adds to the feeling of a completely unbelievable story, even by Sharknado standards. The only notable music is a reappearance of the official theme song at the beginning, coupled with animated footage referencing famous movies and the “Left Shark” internet meme.

Sharknado 5: Global Swarming is simply a bad movie. With a dumb and unbelievable plot line, bad acting, forced references and horrendously bad special effects, it’s hard to recommend this to anyone apart from the diehard fans. We’ll likely still watch Sharknado 6, teased during the ending, but more out of obligation, as the setup gives the impression that the writers have completely run out of ideas. Only time will tell if a franchise that already jumped the shark can possibly recapture what made the first one so enjoyable.