Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides [Review]

The first thing you’ll likely notice about the fourth instalment in the Pirates franchise is the scale. Gone are the majestic effects and locales of the previous trilogy; there’s barely a cannon fired - returning antagonist-turned-protagonist Captain Barbossa comes closest, flirting a skirmish with the Spanish which inevitably fizzles out - and the use of fewer locations diminishes any feeling of a lengthy journey or crusade.

But On Stranger Tides doesn’t feel like it needs them. It's a more personal adventure, but something of a pirate road trip - the film revolves around a race to the Fountain of Youth, as teased by the close of At World’s End, the final chapter of the Will Turner trilogy. Jack’s back, obviously - this is, at heart, Johnny Depp’s franchise, after all - as are the aforementioned Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), who’s now a King’s Privateer and sporting a dashing wooden leg, and Jack’s faithful sidekick Gibbs (Kevin McNally). But that’s about as far as it goes for returning characters; replacing Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley’s romance thread are the token religious fanatic Philip (yes, even Pirates has one now) and mermaid Syrena, captured in one of the film’s strongest scenes. Penélope Cruz has a rather surprising turn as one of Cap’n Jack’s old flames, who joins the big bad on his ship - the beautifully designed Queen Anne’s Revenge. Ah, yes, the big bad of Pirates 4 - notorious villain Edward Teach, aka Captain Blackbeard.

Ian McShane does wonderfully with the material he is given - the only problem is, there isn’t enough of it. And sadly, this tends to ring true for much of the new cast. Despite a lengthy 136 minute running time, On Stranger Tides has developed a rabid case of Harry Potter syndrome. Characters are introduced for a line or two then discarded without second thought; Blackbeard himself remains a mystery - at one point something is mumbled about his crew being ‘zombies’, but no explanation is given as to why or how they have come to be in this state. The audience is simply left to accept that Blackbeard is some kind of living deity who can manipulate his ship and crew merely by pointing a sword in their face (in an obvious and cringe-worthy attempt to showcase the series’ adaptation of the frankly unbearable 3D phenomenon).

But such criticisms, thankfully, fail to detract completely from On Stranger Tides. The race to the Fountain of Youth is a less exhilarating one, but then the series feels less like it’s trying to cram grandiose action down its audience’s necks at the expense of the bulk of the film’s character and narrative development. Seemingly director Rob Marshall has done all in his power to stay away from Michael Bay methods of filmmaking: we’re given time to consume the plot and characters, and it is herein that the strength of On Stranger Tides lies. But that’s not to say it’s gone all serious - the action is still replete throughout, regardless of the scale or brevity of it; particularly memorable are the mermaid capture at Whitecap Bay and the fast-paced, classic Pirates intro involving an impromptu dash through London town.

A more pointless plot device comes in the form of the Spanish: merely an instrument to prolong the warring Barbossa and Blackbeard’s plight for their watery treasure for just a few minutes’ more runtime, their presence might be considered irrelevant - particularly based on their actions when they eventually reach the fabled fountain. But this mechanic still doesn’t feel jarring; simply an obstacle that is passed over briefly (and does allow for one of Depp’s more cynically humourous moments, whereupon he pulls apart a staple of fight scenes - watch out for it in the final act).

And once again, the Pirates series has somehow managed to overcome its flaws while riding them along anyway - by now, these films exist purely as entertainment; they’re enjoyable. It doesn’t matter that some of the characters might be paper-thin, or the plot not water-tight; Captain Jack is back, and, amidst a summer of South London street gangs taking on Independence Day and everything being Furiously Fast (Five times over), he’s damn welcome.

✰✰✰

See also: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Dir: Rob Marshall
Cast: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Ian McShane
Walt Disney Pictures, 136 mins, 18/05/11

Synopsis: Jack's back, racing against both Captain Blackbeard and the Spanish Armada to the fabled Fountain of Youth, with the help of a few familiar faces...

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Black Swan [Review]

To me, Natalie Portman is Padmé Amidala. The whiny Queen-before-her-time wife of Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, she always represented that which I hated about the resurgence of the saga: the demystification of one of the greatest villains of all time, Darth Vader. No more was he the symbolism of pure evil who found redemption for his sins (by throwing his master down a two hundred and fifty thousand feet shaft directly into the core of the second Death Star).

No, now he was the whiny child, the hopelessly emotional teenager and the arrogant pilot with powers that certainly wouldn’t cause any suspension of disbelief. All this circled around Portman’s character - yes, Star Wars had become a love story. Admittedly the original trilogy had the Han/Leia thing going on, but it wasn’t central to the ongoing fight between good and evil. For me, Portman’s character epitomised all that was wrong with the Star Wars prequels. She was, and always would be, Amidala, that which tore apart a classic saga bit by bit at the hands of George Lucas. Until Black Swan.

To say she’s come a long way in the past six or so years since the last Star Wars film would be a bit of an understatement. Slide The Phantom Menace or Attack of the Clones into your DVD player (sadly the saga hasn’t yet been released on Blu-ray, though come October this will change) and remind yourself why: Padmé Amidala, effectively a plank of wood with different faces scrawled on. Of course, the writers must take some of the blame; she was never the most well-written character and her role was translucent at best, never quite fully fleshed out as a trigger for Anakin’s turn to the dark side. But Portman was fairly fresh on the acting scene, and wasn’t about to start picking up Oscars any time soon. Come 2011, and she’s back in full form, starting with Black Swan; a tale of a ballerina, but one that you won’t need any liking of dance to enjoy.

The dance, of course, is Swan Lake; Portman’s character, Nina Sayers, the Swan Queen - or so she wishes. Her problem comes in the form of the dual role; the split personality - perfection lies in the White Swan, but Nina struggles to lose herself in the other half of the role, the voluptuous, darkly sensual twin, in the form of the Black Swan. Over the course of the one hundred and eight minutes screen time, Nina’s paranoia of usurpation by her understudy ultimately takes its toll, with hallucinations (both drug-induced or otherwise) and the struggle of attempting to lose herself in the Black Swan leading to an ever-darker psychological spiral, that only falls further down.

Her character is an intriguing one; overshadowed by a controlling mother who attempts to live out her failed dreams through her daughter, Nina’s involuntary self-harming - fuelled by hallucinations, but also whilst unconscious, be it asleep or otherwise - highlights a deep psychological torment; one that only grows with the pressure of the role. Mila Kunis’ character, a cocky, confident Lily, spends the duration of the runtime subtly undermining Nina, for better or worse, as her motives become less and less clear - is she really out to usurp Nina, or is it just Nina’s paranoid frenzy of suspicion that causes us to accuse Lily of such mutiny?

The narrative is no less complex than the characters. Nina’s many hallucinations are infused almost seamlessly with her real-life actions and the events that run through the course of the film, to the extent that the two become blurred over time - and it is no longer clear what is real and what is not. Thus the point of the film: the devolution of Nina’s psyche, and her struggle to comprehend reality against the extent to which the testing role of the Black Swan consumes her whole. And this narrative is supported fantastically by the depth of the characters, and the cast that portrays them with beautiful vigour: Portman takes all that director Darren Aronofsky throws at her, clearly in her stride, while Kunis’ devil-on-the-shoulder is acutely sinister.

The supporting cast are no less seized in the moment; Vincent Cassel as instructor Thomas Leroy is formidable in his role - a man who knows what he wants, and has no hesitancy in seizing it with both hands. So yes, the acting quality, production values and script are all top-notch. But it doesn’t end there. Black Swan’s choreography is matched perfectly with the cinematography of each scene, while the film’s soundtrack is predictably astounding.

An achievement by all involved, Black Swan is no less than a modern masterpiece, and by far the best film of 2011 yet seen by this reviewer - but one that also acts as a fine showcase for the timely blossoming of Natalie Portman into the Oscar-winning actress she has become. It’s a long way from The Phantom Menace.

✰✰✰✰✰ 

See also: Shutter Island (2010), Requiem for a Dream (2000)

Dir: Darren Aronofsky

Cast: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel

Fox Searchlight Pictures, 108 mins, 21/01/11

Synopsis: Dancer Nina Sayers wins the lead role in Swan Lake, perfect for the delicate White Swan role. However, she slowly succumbs to the demanding role of the Black Swan, almost losing her mind along the way… 

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Sucker Punch [Review]

I’m not usually one to allow preconceptions of a film to twist my viewing of it. But, in the case of Sucker Punch, I admit I was worried this might be inevitable. Having had high hopes from Empire previews, I was looking forward to the initial viewing. Then, upon release date, I found myself straying towards Rotten Tomatoes. Oh. 19%. Not to mention an average three star review by the very magazine which had so built my expectations not a month earlier. But I was sure it wouldn’t be all that bad… right?

Well, no. But it’s not all that amazing either. It’s… strange. I don’t want to call it average, because it’s certainly undeserving of such a bland tag; its psychological elements are worthy perhaps of calls of ingenuity in director and writer Zack Snyder’s scripts. The film follows the fantasies of a young woman, nicknamed Babydoll, who is committed to a mental institution after being wrongfully blamed for the death of her younger sister by her stepfather. From thereon she attempts to escape her imprisonment through the realm of imagination, dreaming up ways to escape with the help of the other inmates.

The film’s style is gloriously over the top, but it suits. Hazy, colourless fantasies, filled with fire and murky browns, settle lovingly into a sea of distress that captures Babydoll’s situation perfectly. As the plot hurtles further forward, exploring different aspects of the lead character’s imagination (and how in many ways this curiously mirrors real-life events), we are taken on a whirlwind ride through various settings - raiding a castle, battling steampunk Nazi-zombie-cyborgs, etc. - all set against the backdrop of Babydoll’s invented world.

In this way the film almost feels as if it was adapted from a comic book; certainly, the visual style suggests such. One may even go so far as to say it has a videogame feel, pertaining to each ‘stage’ or scenario Babydoll takes us through. But, surprisingly, this is no bad thing. Where criticisms might come for films with similar tendencies - think the General Grievous showdown in Revenge of the Sith - Sucker Punch uses them entirely to its own advantages, formulating a beautiful stylistic mise-en-scene that appears coherent with the plot.

On that note, Snyder’s soundtrack most certainly deserves a mention. In effect, the music becomes the backbone for the film; in Babydoll’s fantasies, she must dance to stay alive (she imagines she has come to a brothel, not a mental institute) and, while we never see her actually dance, each time a song begins and the wonderfully charismatic Emily Browning begins swaying her hips to trigger another dream-within-a-dream (the aforementioned castles/WW1 trenches etc.) the audience can’t help but feel a rush of adrenaline - while any sense of danger appears muted for the first few sequences, unlike Inception’s similar themes that also carry the possibility of being indefinitely trapped in ‘limbo’, this soon takes a fatal twist and completely throws the viewer’s perceptions.

The underlying themes are not forgotten, though - and the film’s finale remains unpredictable right till the very last camera angle. Such mature themes as forced prostitution and insanity might make some question its 12A rating, but Sucker Punch handles them well. It’s a thrilling rollercoaster ride of a film, furthered by the highs and lows of the soundtrack to a remarkable extent, and one of Snyder’s finer works after the disappointment of Watchmen. A highly underrated piece with a deep psychological twist, Sucker Punch delivers just that.

✰✰✰

See also: Heavy Metal (1981), Sin City (2005)

Dir: Zack Snyder

Cast: Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish

Warner Bros Pictures, 110 mins, 01/04/11

Synopsis: After a young woman, Babydoll (Browning), is institutionalised by her father, she finds her own way to cope with her ordeal - by retreating into a fantastical alternate reality, to plan her escape...

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The Social Network [Review]

I’m going to assume, for the purposes of this review, that you, like most of society, have a Facebook account. It is a curious coincidence that The Social Network, a film based on the prototypical example of precisely that - and its troublesome inception - suits its subject as a metaphor so well.

Take, for instance, the characters. At some point in your Facebook history, you’ll undoubtedly have gone through your ‘friends’ list on a mass genocide of contacts, effortlessly removing people from your virtual life with the click of a cross in an all too easy process. Now imagine, at the start of the day, your friends list compiles solely of the cast of The Social Network. One hundred and twenty minutes later, and you’ll soon be known as the loveable loser with just one friend. That friend is Andrew Garfield; here playing Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, he’s David Fincher’s only character you won’t grow to detest in some form or another by the closing credits.

Of course, it must be conceded that screenwriter Aaron Sorkin had very little room to manoeuvre. Based on a true story, The Social Network is replete with the limitations you might expect of any such film; while some creative license is obligatory, Sorkin could have put it to far better use than simply to draw apathy or even contempt for the majority of the cast. You’ll leave the cinema (lounge?) not knowing what to feel; even Garfield’s character only manages to draw feelings of pity and the less sympathetic viewer might discard his role much in the way his colleagues manage to throughout the course of the film. While an interesting concept, this leaves the audience unsure of their position, and while normally this might result in cries of intellect and ingenuity deep in the script, here it belies such presumptions to the end that it might not warrant another view to understand, but will certainly leave you confused and disoriented.

If you’ve ever sat and stared at your Facebook profile, longingly hoping you could inspire some ounce of colour in its bland features, you might feel an overwhelming sense of déjà vu in the visuals of The Social Network. Jeff Cronenweth’s cinematography hastens to reflect the apparently melancholy milieu of Harvard University; browns and greys spatter across the lens in a sea of haze and despair. Perhaps an act of pathetic fallacy, but one that complements a bitter mise-en-scene that furthers the audience’s bewilderment to the approach and resulting tone of the film.

It would not be unwise to assume that there also exists a point in your life where you might have read through your news feed only to ponder why your virtual acquaintances feel the need to inform you of every minute detail of their lives, no matter how mundane it might be. When watching The Social Network, similar feelings of apathy are apparent not only in the characters and cinematography, but equally so in the story. To explain: Todorov’s theory of equilibrium appears not applicable here. There is no clear resolution; instead, a film rife with bland and aggravating characters - who spend most of their time enjoying extravagant lifestyles at the cost of one another in an equally bland and uninspired story - ultimately fizzles out into an abrupt and nonsensical ending. A few facts are levelled at the reader through the use of titles with the outcome of the concurrent court cases that run alongside the main plot, telling the story. It’s almost as if Fincher ran out of time or money and simply decided to resort to a literal storybook (or news feed?) ending - reading words off a page (or in this case, screen).

Allow us to leave the Facebook metaphors aside for a moment, however, to consider the acting standard of The Social Network. Far and away outside the entirety of the crew’s efforts, the majority of the cast put in performances that alone might make The Social Network almost worthy of its hefty pile of awards - but almost is the key term here. Jesse Eisenberg is suitably socially awkward; the film opens with a lengthy conversation between Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, played by Eisenberg, and his soon-to-be-ex girlfriend, who proceeds to dump him for his apparent superiority complex. In this first scene alone Eisenberg displays what I assume are all the qualities of Zuckerberg himself - though I wouldn’t expect to see Mark in a film anytime soon, judging by the staleness of his character. Eisenberg makes the most of what he is given, but it’s Garfield as Saverin and Justin Timberlake’s surprising turn as Napster founder Sean Parker that steal the limelight in the acting field, as the pitiful pushover and crafty consultant, respectively. Combined with a stellar supporting cast, The Social Network’s actors and actresses make for a formidable force in a somewhat under-par film.

Because while the acting quality might be up to scratch, much less can be said of the production itself - and this is inexcusable in a plot that’s already so marred with difficulty. Fincher’s choice to adapt such a tale of animosity and acrimony was the first mistake; Sorkin and Cronenweth’s representations of the personas and locales merely the icing on the cake. Whilst you might argue - and I am sure to find arguments in The Social Network’s legions of fans falling over each other to heap Oscars and BAFTAs on its already laden plate - that labelling a true story as ‘uninspired’ is in itself nonsensical, it is simply in reference to its suitability for the cinematic world (insofar as its complete lack of). Intending to impact, enlighten and stimulate a response from its audience, but succeeding merely in showcasing a fine set of acting talents, The Social Network is an exercise in storytelling that ultimately fails to deliver.

✰✰ 

See also: Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999), Startup.com (2001)

Dir: David Fincher
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake
Columbia Pictures, 120 mins, 15/10/10

Synopsis: The birth of Facebook, now on film. The Social Network is the story of how Mark Zuckerberg founded the most famous social networking site in history, and the ensuing lawsuits...

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FIFA 11 [Review]

It’s been nigh-on eight years since I owned a non-handheld football game. Nowadays it’s all about the shooters, the music games; heck, even the LEGO games have become frustratingly addictive. So why invest in FIFA 11? Not least because it’s supposedly just ‘FIFA 10 with new kits’, as some scorners would have you believe, nor with last year’s game dropping to the price of a McDonald’s meal the second this launched. The answer is painfully simple: a change of pace. But a fresh change of pace, nonetheless. And boy, does it deliver.

Let’s start on the surface. Graphically, FIFA manages to show off the technological prowess of today’s next-gen HD glory with confidence; whilst admittedly not reaching the dizzying heights of games developed exclusively for PlayStation 3 (here’s looking at you, Uncharted 2), it’s still something to write home about. Animations are spot on; players react instinctively to the ball, linesmen dive, hands over heads, as they fall victim to another misplaced cross, and even the referee is guilty of a little human error every now and then, getting in the way of a perfect pass or tripping over somebody’s heels. Weather conditions are good, but not perfect: I’d like to see shadows fall further over the pitch as the match progresses; to the best of my knowledge, the Earth rotates around the Sun, thus allowing for a 24-hour day cycle. It seems in FIFA 11 you’re getting 24 hours of afternoon haze.

The sounds are all there too; crowds screaming ambiguous chants, players calling to each other, interacting and reacting realistically to situations (“Man on!”), the usual sound effects and menu music. But that’s where things change. Got a few gigabytes of music stored on your hard drive for a rainy day? No need to reach for the umbrella; FIFA has you covered. A few clicks and you’ve got your very own personalised menu music, stadium chants and winning songs. I’ve had 'Sweet Child o’ Mine'  blasting throughout ‘Valley Parade’ (read: renamed generic stadium) every time Bradford City score a goal - so in reality I’ve heard it about twice this season - and a sorrowful 'Under the Bridge' upon suffering defeat, a tune which has played far too often for my liking.

A slightly less brilliant feature of FIFA 11’s sound banks is the commentary. Ah yes, the ‘wonderful’ Martin Tyler and Andy Gray, legendary in football commentating, and more grating than sliced mozzarella. Captain Obvious and his wonderful sidekick Andy will just about manage to get you through the first half without you tearing your hair out. Then half time’s over and you’re flat out, bald as a new-born churchmouse, tears rolling down your cheeks. “Stopping the ball; that’s an important part of his job today,” balks Tyler, obviously coming to the sudden realisation that the goalkeeper is more than just a pretty face. Of course, they’ll offer the odd witty remark, commenting on the two teams’ league standings, perhaps, or having a chuckle at the referee’s negligence when he wanders into the middle of a strong attack. But for the most part, you’ll want to turn the commentary way down, and everything else up. Even the constant sound of Rooney grunting at his teammates is more bearable.

But beauty (for the most part) is more than just skin deep. The gameplay handles swimmingly, though not perfectly, with differences in skill level obvious between different leagues. That said, though, much relies on the human controller: I managed to grind out a 1-1 draw as Oxford United against Argentina (admittedly losing 3-1 in extra time). Passing is fluid, but the ‘power’ behind each touch makes little difference, with strong passes remaining infrequent, and often the ball trundles along the pitch at intolerable speeds. On top of this, playing with lower league teams is frustratingly inconsistent; as Bradford City, one game I might beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 whilst the next I face a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Gillingham. Players rarely run to keep up the flow of play, lazily allowing the ball to be intercepted by the opposition. Whilst you might think this is simply a result of Bradford being rubbish - and I might be inclined to agree in part - it’s evident in higher leagues too. Heck, even the international teams suffer; my England vs. Germany replay was more painful than the original 2010 World Cup hammering.

With all this negativity, you might be baffled as to earlier mention of beauty and swimming and whatnot. But fear not: football isn’t called ‘the beautiful game’ for nothing, and FIFA 11, on a whole, manages to capture it. Whether it’s driving home an overhead kick, breaking off for a completely unprecedented counter attack and winging it past seventeen defenders, or simply walloping Leeds United 6-0, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better sense of satisfaction in gaming, not least from a football game.

You’ve probably played a football game at some point in your life. You know how it works. All you really need to know is this: the gameplay is solid, if a little touchy. Barring commentators, sound-wise, everything is spot on. And graphically? It’s astounding. But most of all it’s the little things you’ll be amazed at in this. And you’ll still be stumbling upon them by the time FIFA 12 is out.

✰✰✰✰

Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, Windows, iOS, PS2, PSP, Wii, DS
Genre: Sport, football, simulation
EA, 01/10/10

See also: FIFA 10 (2009), Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 (2010)




Images: The Guardian, EA, Destructoid, Xboxer360

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The Hurt Locker [Review]

If the phrase “Groundhog Day” scares you in the slightest, then at around the one hour mark in this film you may be visited by a sudden urge to stick your fingers in your ears, shut your eyes and begin humming away as loudly as possible.

For while The Hurt Locker accomplishes many things, it does not manage to avoid that which was this reviewer’s cause of concern from the beginning. The setup is worryingly simple: a three-man bomb defusal squad, consisting of Will James, Sanborn and newbie Elridge, go about their duty in Iraq, locating and defusing or otherwise removing hostile explosives.

It seems then, that to put it simply, The Hurt Locker is more a collection of vignettes than a continuous story; there is an auspicious lack of an overarching narrative. While this may simply be down to the content – the film is, after all, following a unit in their everyday duty and therefore it can be expected that the same style of scene may be witnessed more than once – it nevertheless makes for a jarring experience, with no real flow between each event. Luckily, all is not lost. The story finally shifts when James discovers a body of an ally and puts himself to the task of delivering justice upon the attackers. This is when you take your fingers out of your ears.

Because, while the first half of the film may feel as if it is slightly tedious and repetitive, it is perfectly executed to simply become a front for what the film is truly about: the relationship between these three men. If you take the time to see the film for what it is – an emotional and captivating story of three brothers in arms – rather than any preconceptions you may have of it being ‘just another war film’, then you may be pleasantly surprised. The Hurt Locker is far more Saving Private Ryan than Bridge on the River Kwai; a gritty, emotional gut punch. It is not just a war film. It is war poetry.

As could be expected with the subject matter, the feeling experienced most during viewing is that of utmost tension. In such a war, filth and poverty ridden city as Baghdad, anything could happen – and that it does. Heart-stopping roadside shootouts and risky defusal operations are matched perfectly with the camerawork, which director Kathryn Bigelow must be praised for; shaky-cam Cloverfield style shots intersect with focuses on insurgents, creating a frenzied atmosphere that only increases the tension further. However, intense sequences are often broken up by simple distractions; tumbleweed rolling past or a cat digging through rubbish.

This sudden and often brief shift in shot type marries perfectly with the usual rapid movements and zoom techniques to great effect, delivering edge-of-the-seat cinematics. The ‘distraction’ sequences also successfully manage to give the impression that the inhabitants of Baghdad are accustomed to this way of life - they continue to go about their lives every day with the risk of potential slaughter. Through this the film sends home an important message to the viewer, especially that of the importance and bravery of the troops to put their lives on the line to save these people, who, unlike us here in Britain, face terrorism as a constant threat, and have to live every day with the paranoia of it being their last.

The relatively lesser-known cast of The Hurt Locker put in an exceptional performance; protagonist Will James (Jeremy Renner, of 28 Weeks Later and The Assassination of Jesse James Ford) is suitably cocky, trying to prove himself, and his emotions are perfectly believable – the audience can easily empathise with his feelings when a young boy he knows is killed by insurgents. And on that note, we come to the actual plot of the film; the events setup by the first half to introduce our characters and allow them some admittedly rather impressive development.

Rather than the usual ‘unit go out, unit defuse bomb, unit argue a little, unit come home’ structure we’ve become so accustomed to by this point, we’re treated to something slightly (whisper it) different. James’ attempts to avenge the death of a small boy he had befriended ultimately lead to an albeit not-very-surprising climax to the film. This sudden shake-up throws off the possibly now sleeping viewer, giving a sudden wake-up call that events out of the norm do occasionally happen now and then.

But the plot is not the focus here. If you can overcome the lack of story in the first half of the film and concentrate on the more emotional and deeper aspects of The Hurt Locker, and look at it as not simply another war film, but as war poetry, you may be amiably taken aback by what you find in this valiant story of three brave war heroes serving in Iraq.

✰✰✰

See also: Saving Private Ryan (1998), Black Hawk Down (2001)

Dir: Kathryn Bigelow
Cast: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty
Voltage Pictures, 131 mins, 28/08/09

Synopsis: An exposé on the day-to-day lives of an elite army bomb squad, forced into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse - in a land where every object and every person is a potential threat...

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Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood [Review]

The annual leapfrog contest had taken a turn for the worse...

Before going into the main review, I feel I must concede that I had reserved judgements about Brotherhood; Assassin’s Creed 2.5? The lack of an unoriginal setting or protagonist worried me. Whilst Assassin’s Creed II was a joy to play, and Ezio de Auditore a formidable vehicle with which to unleash Ubisoft’s unique blend of killer capabilities, I felt his story was done; yes, there were a few loose ends, but an extra batch of downloadable content could have cleared that up, leaving the way for a brand new assassin (possibly in a Victorian London locale?). Luckily, any doubts I had were assuaged almost immediately - and that was before I got stuck into the online mode.

Brotherhood follows on from its predecessor in the manner the second game took towards its chronology; months and years can pass and you’ll never know any different unless you happen to notice the date given at the start of each sequence. Much in the same vein, it’s difficult to tell just how soon after the ending of ACII this is set based solely on differences in location and character. The story opens much in the way I assumed life would be like for the protagonist following the end of the last game; a legendary assassin, capable of saving the free world… retiring to a quaint country home. Of course, it doesn’t last; else this would be a review of Country Living Simulator 2011. The menacing, murderous and incestuous Borgia clan have come to wreak havoc upon Italy, taking over Rome, and inevitably the burden falls to you to free the city from the shackles of tyranny. With just one city featuring in Brotherhood, the game might at first feel heavily downsized from ACII, but this is soon rectified by its scale, with all its emphatic beauty and historical accuracy making it a pleasure to travel through. On the other side of this, of course, having one larger city does inevitably lead to a lot of travelling; by the time you reach the final memory sequence you’ll know the citadel like the back of your palm. Of course, that doesn’t negate the large amount of running around on horseback you encounter, but it does help to alleviate the stop-start nature of having to look at your map at every corner.

No animals were harmed during the making of this game. Probably.

Whilst Brotherhood’s single player may feel strenuously similar to ACII for the first few memory sequences, a multitude of subtle improvements have been made. The ability to fight on horseback removes the need to stop at every guard post to bump off a few troublemakers - ride, swing, and stab, ride, swing, and stab. It’s a well-implemented system, not to mention efficient. An almost excessive amount of side quests also help to keep you busy during the course of the game; everything from repairing aqueducts to burning towers to rebuilding shops. A feature you might remember from ACII, the shop system has been upgraded here, further stressing the economic fluency of the game - for each area, first the captain must be assassinated, and then his watchtower burned, in order to release it from Borgia control. Then all shops and merchants in the area become available for renovation, which, whilst carrying an initial outlay, provides several advantages: discounts, new items and, most importantly, a higher revenue stream in the bank.

With all this talk of rebuilding cities, purchasing upgrades and such, you might be forgiven for thinking you’ve suddenly started reading a review for the next Elder Scrolls game. Brotherhood contains elements of an RPG, admittedly, but at heart it’s purely about the adventure. The abundance of side quests is merely a momentary distraction for those with short attention spans (or perhaps the obsessive trophy collector), while the real meat of Assassin’s Creed sits purely in its main campaign. An even greater variety of mission styles greets you here than with Brotherhood’s predecessor; stalking your opponents, infiltrating enemy structures and gatherings, straightforward ‘running and gunning’ - even impersonating masked officials in order to reach your target. The depth and detail of the bustling city of Rome will not fail to astound as you work your way through the memory sequences, which are never a chore. And at around fifteen to twenty hours’ worth of campaign to be had at, there’s plenty to get stuck into. Roll on the inevitable downloadable content (the first of which is rumoured to concern Da Vinci)! 

Who said men can't multitask?

While Brotherhood’s ending will leave a bittersweet taste in your mouth - suffice to say we can expect at least one more instalment - there’s no reason it should stop you exploring the main addition to the series. The online-only multiplayer offered at the title screen is a first for the Assassin’s Creed games, and sets up a ‘cops and robbers’ style environment contained within a range of moderately sized maps. Filled with identical character models of various classes, the primary objective of the [admittedly few and far between] game modes centres on identifying your target amongst the masses. If done right, this can result in tense and thrilling games, stalking your prey for the slightest hint of human error that might give away their position. Of course, there’s always the odd fool who’ll run across the rooftops and alert everyone to his presence within seconds - but the game rewards subtlety; more points are given for the killer your target never sees coming, until his carcass lies on the dusty pave below, whilst minimal score is awarded to those who gallivant about in broad daylight. In effect, this means just a few well-placed assassinations can win the game against someone with ten kills who blunders about noisily. Brotherhood rewards the art of the kill; the style, sophistication and subtleties of the Creed. And it is in this way that it succeeds. Call of what?

It’s to Brotherhood’s credit, then, that it does its online component so well. With such similarities in character and style to ACII, the multiplayer might even be argued as its main hook - and it’s a hook which will hold Ubisoft’s series high, high up for as long as it might see fit (that is, until next time). The single player campaign is simply a bonus, and a ridiculously in depth one at that. To say that Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood is well deserving of its praise would be quite an understatement: it’s a gleaming, bloody blade of triumph for Ubisoft’s killer series. 

✰✰✰✰✰

Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, Windows, Mac OS X
Genre: Historical action/adventure, stealth
Ubisoft, 19/11/10

See also: Assassin's Creed (2007), Assassin's Creed II (2009)

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