Uncharted - The Lost Legacy Review

Right, so this will be my last post of the year, as 2017 draws to a close and this post will be a review of a PS4 game, which I got for Christmas (which I still haven't quite finished yet!) and the game in question is Uncharted - The Lost Legacy, which is a spin-off of the regular series.

So, let's see how it fairs in comparison to the regular Uncharted games.

And as I will refer to a little bit of the story, I will issue the usual warning...

SPOILERS MIGHT BE AHEAD (BUT NOT TOO MANY!!)

STORY

So, instead of Nathan Drake, the story instead follows two women, a treasure hunter, Chloe Frazer (voiced by Claudia Black) who also enlists the help of mercenary, Nadine Ross (voiced by Laura Bailey) to find the legendary tusk of Ganesh.  Chloe with the help of a young girl, Meenu, who's father is in the Indian army, get's past an insurgent group and she meets up with Nadine.  The two of them together then sneak into the office of the insurgent leader, Asav, who is also after the tusk in an effort to rally India into a civil war.  Chloe and Nadine also manage to steal a map and a disk that is a key of sorts before they finally manage evade Asav's men.

The map leads the two women into the Western Ghats in India where they start their hunt for the tusk and encounter plenty of dangers along the way....

THOUGHTS

As a follow-up to the highly acclaimed, Uncharted - The Lost Legacy is a very enjoyable game and even with the absence of Nathan Drake here, the game works very well thanks in part to the two lead characters of Chloe and Nadine, as the two of them work well together and have a nice chemistry.  And the fact that there are two female leads for a change adds a refreshing dynamic to the Uncharted series and a welcome change in itself.

GAMEPLAY

As for the gameplay, its pretty much the same as the previous Uncharted games with a third person perspective with the usual moves and Chloe being your main playable character.  And Chloe pretty much has the same level of ability that Nathan Drake has as she is a great climber and her moves are more or less identical as she can run, jump, swim, climb aswell as perform other actions such as driving vehicles.  Chloe can also use a rope to swing from trees to reach platforms and other areas (again similar to Nate in Uncharted 4).

Combat wise, the game is also very much the same as the other games in the series, where Chloe can use both weapons and melee attacks when fighting against enemies.  There are also a large number of different weapons available in the game, which Chloe can pick up as she goes along as she kills her enemies.  The different weapons include handguns (pistols and revolvers), shotguns, rifles, rocket launchers as well as grenades.  Chloe can also perform stealth attacks, as she sneaks up on her enemies and breaks their necks (yeah she even manages to do that with the bigger guys!).

As for the game's AI starting with Nadine, she will be able to help out Chloe as the go on through the adventure by also taking down enemies aswell as helping with certain sections of the game that might involve opening sealed doors (Nadine at some point will use Chloe's jeep to break open sealed doors).  As for the enemy AI, they will react to certain situations, especially as Chloe and Nadine sneak around, there will be a detection meter that goes from white, yellow to eventually red when they are detected.

And last of all is the inventory system, where Chloe can access her mobile phone to take pictures of the scenery at certain points, which she can also scroll through.  Chloe from the inventory can also access her map, which she will use at certain points to scribble down entries for new destinations as she gathers information from different places. 


GRAPHICS, VOICE ACTING AND MUSIC

As for the game's graphics....well similar to Uncharted 4, they are simply stunning as the environments in the game are just gorgeous to look at and richly detailed from the temples, to the trees, to the rocks, to the mud ridden terrain not to mention the weather.  The character models are also all excellent as both Chloe and Nadine look great (particularly Chloe!) although they are not quite lifelike, they aren't entirely far off either!  Basically, The Lost Legacy is a visual treat in full HD but at 4K resolution it doubtless will be even better (but I don't have a PS4 Pro).

As for the voice acting, again the performances are excellent as Claudia Black and Laura Bailey are both great in their respective roles as Chloe and Nadine and they work well together as a team and they share a natural chemistry also.  Claudia Black as Chloe, has the more flamboyant of the two characters as Chloe is quite witty and enjoys bantering with her co-workers (a bit like Nate does!) whereas Nadine is a bit more serious but she too has some good lines (especially when she refers to looking up a certain type of catapult on Wikipedia!).   

Troy Baker also later appears in the game as Sam Drake (Nate's brother, who appeared in Uncharted 4) and he is once again great in the role and the game actually even get's better when Sam appears as the banter between the three characters at from this point on is great.  And its clear from this point on that there is no love lost between Nadine and Sam (which you would understand if you played Uncharted 4) but I won't say anymore than that for now!  

And last of all the music score by Henry Jackman is also very good and is quite similar to the score that features in Uncharted 4 and it is more than suitable for the tone of the game and it has plenty of good sections.  The score is also both adventurous and atmospheric and even though it is a bit samey at times to Uncharted 4, its a still a good one.

FLAWS

As for flaws...well yes OK, The Lost Legacy isn't quite perfect.


And to kick off, the first thing I would have to say about the game's flaws is basically that it really doesn't offer much new over the previous games, particularly Uncharted 4, as the gameplay is practically identical.  The only real new inclusion here is the ability for Chloe to take pictures of the vistas and that's probably about it (well that and the two female leads in the game).  But that aside it is pretty formulaic as a game but with a formula as good as the one in the Uncharted series, there isn't too much to complain about here.

Another issue is to do with the gameplay physics as there are certain scenes where Chloe should basically be dead from certain injuries or falls (although she is more likely die from falling than get shot!). As an example, Chloe in certain action sequences, can appear to take on a fair bit of gunfire without actually dying and this is quite remarkable in itself!  Then there is another sequence in the game where Chloe has to evade a series of traps where giant mechnical guards take swipes at Chloe with giant axes.  And if Chloe get's hit, she takes damage but she still manages to survive it but in reality she would have been dead with one strike!

I also find it a bit incredible that Chloe can posses the same level of strength (or appear to at any rate!) as Nate does in the series, as she can appear to break men's necks with great ease (even if they are a big guy!) which is something I don't quite buy!  However when you look at Nadine's physique, she is certainly a bit more muscly than Chole, so I can buy her taking down a guy with a neckbreak but not so much Chloe.

And lasty I found some of the game's puzzles also a bit annoying and tedious at times particularly the ones in the later chapters as there is one in chapter 5 that will have you tearing your hair out trying to suss it!  But puzzles and Uncharted have always gone hand in hand but I myself have never been a fan of puzzles (and little patience for them either!) so for me it was always the part of any adventure I like least.   

Anyway that's it for the flaws!

SUM UP

So, in summing up, Uncharted - The Lost Legacy is a very enjoyable spin-off game in the Uncharted series, which features plenty of great action and platforming as well as two great female characters in Chloe and Nadine, who work well together in the game.  It could be argued of course that the game doesn't really offer anything new over Uncharted 4 but its still a very worthy and entertaining follow-up which is worth playing and if you are a fan of the Uncharted series then you won't be a disappointed.


Right, so that's it for now and as this is my last post of 2017, I will wish you all a Happy New Year when it comes around and I will see you in 2018.  

Ciao for now!

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (Revisited) "I have had enough....of YOU!!!"

OK, its time for another post revisitation and this one will be on one of my older reviews of a Star Trek film and the film in question is Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.  Now, the odd numbered Star Trek films tend to be less favourable with fans and critics (whereas the even numbered ones are favoured better) so this puts STIII in a rather awkward place.

So, given that it is an odd numbered Star Trek film, will it be that bad???  Well, let's take another look...

And yep the usual warning is coming up...

SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!!!

STORY 
 
So, the story begins with the USS Enterprise returning back to Earth, in the aftermath of Kirk's battle with Khan, who tried to destroy the Enterprise by detonating the Genesis torpedo, and as a result Spock sacrificed his life to save the ship.  As they are about to dock, Kirk (Shatner) receives word that someone has broken into Spock's quarters, and he goes to find McCoy (DeForrest Kelly) there who is acting strangely as he tells Jim to "climb the steps to Mount Selaya" which is on Vulcan, but McCoy passes out before he can say more.

Once back at Starfleet command, Admiral Morrow (Robert Hooks) tells the crew that the Enterprise is to be decomissioned and that Genesis is now a taboo subject and not to be discussed with anyone, as a result of a political fallout over the device.  Kirk back home receives a visit from Spock's father, Sarek (Mark Lenard) who confronts him over his son's death.  Sarek mind melds with Kirk but he finds no trace of what he had hoped was his son's "katra" or living spirit, however Kirk suggests that Spock might have joined with someone else.  This is revealed to be the case when they check the engineering room video tapes and they find Spock performed a mind meld on McCoy, on which Sarek tells Kirk that he must find Spock's body and bring him and McCoy to Mount Selaya where they can restore Spock's mind.  

Meanwhile Kirk's son David Marcus (Merritt Butrick) one of the main scientists involved in the Genesis project, is now assigned to the USS Grissom, where investigates an unidentified lifeform coming from the Genesis planet.  Along with Lt Saavik (Robin Curtis) David beams down to the surface of the planet and they find that Spock's coffin chamber is empty, and they soon find a Vulcan child, which as it turns out the Genesis wave has regenerated Spock's body.  However the planet itself is becoming highly unstable as David admits to Saavik that he used protomatter in constructing the Genesis device, which means that Spock will age rapidly and the planet will be destroyed within a matter of hours.

Elsewhere Kirk with help of Sulu (George Taeki), Scotty (James Doonan) and Chekov (Walter Koenig) manage to steal the Enterprise from space dock and fly off to find Spock.  However to complicate things a Klingon crew have learned of the Genesis device, and the commander, Kruge (Christopher Lloyd) intercepts and destroys USS Grissom and he beams down to the planet, taking David, Saavik and the rapidly aging Spock hostage.

As the Enterprise reaches the Genesis planet, Kruge is informed of their arrival and beams up to his Klingon bird of prety, where he does battle with the Enterprise, and knocks out the ship's engines and weapons in the process.  Kruge tells Kirk that he has David and Saavik hostage below and he orders one of them to be killed, and on the surface, David prevents one of the Klingons from killing Saavik, but he is killed himself in the struggle.  Kirk is devastated by news of his son's death and surrenders to Kruge, but in the meantime he activates the Enterprises's self destruct sequence, and he sets the transporter to beam down to the surface of the planet, just in time before Kruge's boarding party arrive on the ship as it self destructs.

On the surface Kirk and the others soon find Saavik and the aging Spock, who by this time has fully growing into the adult Spock we know.  But before they can escape, Kruge beams down and seeks revenge over the death of his crewmembers, as he confronts Kirk as the planet collapses around them...

THOUGHTS 

Although it isn't quite in the same league as its predecessor, The Search for Spock has alot going for it as a film, and Leonard Nimoy makes an impressive directorial debut here taking over from Nicholas Meyer, who was set not to return.  It also sees the second part in what is something of a trilogy of its own as the story arc of finding Spock is a continuation from the events of the second film, and this continues into Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

I also quite like the concept that Spock can be brought back to life by placing his "katra" or living spirit into McCoy's mind and it also allows for McCoy behave in an amusingly strange manner, as he takes on some of Spock's personality traits, which I'll mention more about a bit later on.  And the Genesis theme is again used well here, although it does seem a bit of a change-up that all of a sudden Genesis, which is supposed to have the power to create, turns out to be a scientific failure, as the Genesis planet becomes unstable and destroys itself later on.

Its also refreshing to see the return of the Klingons to the franchise as well, and this time they are far better represented than they were in Star Trek The Motion Picture, where they hardly had any screen time at all.

PERFORMANCES AND NOTABLE SCENES (Warning: this section will contain spoilers!)

Which brings me onto the performances in the film which are again pretty good, and the regular cast once more deliver some nice performances.

Starting with William Shatner who is great once again in his role as James T. Kirk, and he shows great decency, courage and loyalty in doing all he can to find Spock and bring him back.

And Shatner has his share of good moments in the film, starting with the scene at the start where Kirk narrates as we see him wander around the bridge, deep in thought.  So, Kirk narrates "And Enterprise feels like a house with all the children gone. No. More empty even than that. The death of Spock is like an open wound. It seems that I have left the noblest part of myself back there, on that newborn planet".  And at the end of the scene a young crewmember asks Kirk "Sir, I was wondering if they were planning a ceremony when we get in?  I mean a reception?".  Kirk smiles at him and says "A hero's welcome, son.  Is that what you would like?" and he looks more serious and says "Well, God knows there should be.  This time we've paid for the party with our dearest blood".  Kirk then goes off the bridge into the elevator and he looks deeply troubled by Spock's death.

Then there is the scene where Kirk tries to persuade Admiral Morrow that he must take the Enterprise to go on his mission to get Spock's body from Genesis.  So, Kirk says to Morrow "You don't have to believe. I'm not even sure that I believe. But if there's even a chance that Spock has an eternal soul, then it's my responsibility".  Morrow looks a little amused and asks "Yours?" and Kirk says "As if it were my very own.  Give me back the Enterprise, with Scotty's help..." but Morrow insists that the Enterprise couldn't take the pounding and also that Kirk is forbidden to go to Genesis and that he will end up destroying his career if he does.  So, Kirk laughs and says "I hear you...I had to try" and Morrow says "Of course" and Kirk then says "Thanks for the drink" and Morrow says "Any time" and he leaves.  And as Kirk rejoins with Sulu and Chekov, Sulu asks "The word, sir?" and Kirk tells him "The word is no.  I am therefore going anyway!" and Sulu says "You can count on our help, sir" and Kirk says "Thank you, Mr Sulu. I'll need it!".

Another good moment for Shatner is when he finds McCoy who has been arrested in put in a holding cell after having an argument in a bar, and Kirk does the Vulcan peace sign and says "How many fingers am I holding up??" and McCoy annoyed says "That's not very damn funny!".  Kirk smiles and says "Your sense humour has returned" and McCoy says "The hell it has!" Kirk then gives McCoy some medicinal injection and says "Your suffering from a Vulcan mind-meld, Doctor" and McCoy gasps and says "That green blooded son of a bitch!  Its revenge for all those arguments he lost!".  

WARNING: THIS NEXT THREE PARAGRAPHS HAVE BIG PLOT SPOILERS JUST IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE FILM!

Another notable scene from Shatner is a rather silly dramatic and cheesy moment where he learns that David has been killed by a klingon on the surface of Genesis.  So, as Lt Savik tells him "Admiral...David is dead, Kirk staggers and collapses in his chair on the Enterprise bridge, and says "You Klingon bastard you killed my son!" and he emotionally repeats "You Klingdon bastard you killed me son!" and he stands up and he angrily says again "You Klingon bastard!".    

Then there is the moment where Kirk has his showdown with Kruge on Genesis as the planet is destroying itself.  So, before they do, Kirk uses one of the Klingon communicators to speak to Kruge, who has just lost most of his crew onboard the Enterprise when Kirk set it to self destruct.  So, Kirk says to Kruge "Klingon Commander, this is Admiral James T. Kirk. I'm alive and well on the planet surface. I know this will come as a pleasant surprise, but our ship had an unfortunate accident.
Sorry about your crew, but as we say on Earth, c'est la vie. I have what you want. I have the secret of Genesis. You're going to have to bring us up there to get it. Do you hear me? I'm waiting for you!
What is your answer?!".

So after a long pause, Kruge beams down and the two of them have it out after Kruge beams up Kirk's crew except the regenerated unconscious Spock.  So, Kruge says to Kirk "Genesis!  I want it!" and Kirk tells him "Beam the Vulcan up and we'll talk!" and Kruge says "Give me what I want and I'll consider it".  Kirk however shouts at him "You fool look around you!  The planet's destroying itself!" and Kruge says "Yes, exhilirating isn't it?!" and Kirk then says "If we don't help each other we'll die here!" and Kruge accepting his fate says "Perfect!  Then that's the way it shall be!".  So, after the two of them have a fist fight it ends with Kruge dangling over a cliff edge and as Kirk tries to help him up, Kruge grabs Kirk's foot and in an effort to take him down with him.  So, Kirk the kicks Kruge as he says "I...have had...enough...of YOU!!" and with a final kick he sends Kruge falling to his death into a firey pit of lava below.

And last of all is the following scene where Kirk manages beam himself and Spock up to the Klingon ships as he repeated the Klingon phrase for "beam me up" so Kirk points a gun at the last remaining Klingon crew hostage.  So Kirk says to him "You! Help us or die!" to which the Klingon officer, Maltz (played by John Larroquette) who says "I do not deserve to live!" and Kirk replies "fine, I'll kill you later!".  But shortly after the crew escape the planet in the vessel, Kirk orders for Maltz to be taken below prisoner to which Maltz angrily says "Wait, you say you would kill me!" and Kirk says "I lied!".

DeForrest Kelley is great again as McCoy, and this time he is given more to do as he holds the burden of carrying Spock's katra in his head, and as a result he takes on some of Spock's logical personality, which provides some amusing moments in the film.

Kelley of course has his own highlights in the film that include the scene at the start where Kirk is told Spock's quarters have been forced open after they were sealed off and he rushes to the quarters and finds a delirious McCoy sitting there.  So, Kirk grabs McCoy and looks surprised and McCoy in almost a trance says to Kirk "Help me, Jim. Take me home" and Kirk says "Bones, we are home" and McCoy then tells him "Then perhaps it's not too late. Climb the steps, Jim! Climb the steps of Mount Seleya!".  Kirk confused says "Mount Seleya?!  Bones, Mount Seleya is on Vulcan.  We're home!  On Earth" to which McCoy deliriously says "Remember..." before passing out. 

Then there is of course Kelley's best scene in the film where McCoy goes to a bar to meet with an alien, who can arrange to fly him out to Genesis.  So, as McCoy arrives in the bar, a waitress walks up to him and asks "What will it be?" and McCoy says "Altair water" and she looks surprised and says "Altair water??? That's not your usual poison!".  McCoy then briefly takes on Spock's persona and tells her "To expect one to order posion in bars, is not logical" and the waitress smiles and says "Got it!" and walks off.

McCoy then meets with the alien, who sits down across from him and says "To your planet, welcome!" and McCoy says "I think that's MY line stranger".  McCoy then asks him "How much and how soon?" and the alien replies "How soon is now, how much is where?" and McCoy says "Somewhere in the Mutura sector".  The alien sounds cautious and says "Oh, Mutura restricted.  Take permits many; money more!" but McCoy angrily says to him "There aren't gonna be any damned permits! How can you get a permit to do a damned illegal thing?! Look, price you name, money I got".  The alien firmly however says "Place YOU name, money I name, otherwise bargain no!" and McCoy angrily tells the alien his destination "Alright, damn it! It's Genesis! The name of the place we're going is GENESIS!".  The alien outraged, loudly shouts "GENESIS??!  Genesis allowed is not!  Its planet forbidden!" so McCoy then grabs the alien and he tells him "Look my backwards friend...Genesis maybe forbidden but I'm damn well going...!".

However then a federation security agent suddenly appears having been attracted by the alien's shouting and he puts a hand on McCoy and tells him "Sir, your voice is carrying.  I don't think you want to be discussing this subject in public".  McCoy angrily says "I'll discuss what like!  And who the hell are you?!" and the agents asks "Can I give you a ride home, Dr McCoy?".  McCoy however furiously says to the agent "Where's the logic in offering me a ride home, you idiot?! lf I wanted a ride home, would I be chartering a space flight?!!" which prompts an angry groan from the alien.  McCoy then asks the agent "How the hell do you know who I am?!" and the agent shows him his credentials and says "Federation security, sir" and McCoy suddenly tries to use a Vulcan neck pinch on the agent but it fails to work.  Instead the the agent gives McCoy a look and tells him "You're gonna get a nice, long rest doctor!".

Last of all is the scene where just after Kirk, McCoy, Sulu, Chekov and Scotty beam down to Genesis and witness the smouldering remains of the Enterprise go down literally in flames, all five men look on in shock at the sight.  And Kirk says to McCoy "My God, Bones!  What have I done?!" and McCoy tells Kirk "What you had to do.  What you always.  Turn death into a fighting chance to live".

Then there is the scene where just after the crew rescue Spock, who has been regenerated on the planet surface of Genesis and they depart in a stolen Klingon vessel, McCoy talks to an unconscious Spock.  And McCoy pleads with Spock as he wants to know what he is to do with Spock's katra (Spock's living essence) and he says "Spock, for God sakes, talk to me! You stuck this damn thing in my head, remember? Remember?! Now tell me what to do with it!".  As Spock lies unconscious, McCoy takes a moment and then says emotionally to Spock "I'm going to tell you something that I never thought I'd ever hear myself say. But it seems I've missed you. I don't know if I could...stand to lose you again".

And last of all is there is the scene where on Vulcan, the high priestess is about to carry out the process to transfer Spock's essence back into his body but she warns McCoy of the dangers involved.  So, the Priestess says to McCoy "But, McCoy, you must now be warned. The danger to thyself is as grave as the danger to Spock. You must make the choice".  McCoy takes a moment then says "I choose the danger" and he mutters to Kirk "Hell of a time to ask(!)".

Of the new cast members, Christopher Lloyd is excellent as the rogue Klingon commander Kruge, an meglomaniacal Klingon who is out to seek power, glory and the usual stuff renegade Klingons look for!

Lloyd overall makes for quite an effecive villain, and he has some good moments that include the one where Kruge's Klingon vessel decloaks and surrends the USS Grissom and Kruge instructs his gunner to target the engine only, however the gunner ends up destroying the ship totally instead.  So, Kruge, outraged yells at the gunner in Klingon "I wanted prisoners!!!" and the gunner foolishly says "A lucky shot, sir!" which prompts Kruge to vapourise the gunner and after he says in disgust "Animal!".  Then another Klingon officer, Torg says to Kruge "Sir, may I suggest..." and Kruge angrily spins round points his gun at him and shouts "Say the wrong thing, Torg.....!" but Torg tells him "If you want prisoners, there are life signs there. Perhaps the very scientists you seek".  Kruge then relents and puts his gun down and says "Very good".

Then there is the scene where Kruge and some of his men beam down to the surface of Genesis and capture David and Saavik along with the young regenerated Spock.  So, Kruge addresses them "I've come a long way for the power of Genesis, and what do I find? A weakling human, a Vulcan boy, and a woman!".  Saavik tells Kruge "My lord, we are survivors of a doomed expedition. This planet will destroy itself in hours. The Genesis experiment is a failure".  Kruge considering Saavik's words, says "A failure? The most destructive force ever created? You will tell me the secret of the Genesis torpedo".  Saavik however says "I have no knowledge" and Kruge warns her "Then I hope pain is something you enjoy!".

Another good scene for Lloyd is just after the Enterprise has its brief battle with the Kruge's vessel and the Klingons disable the Enterprise's engines, rendering them a sitting duck.  So, as Kirk tries to bluff his position to Kruge, Kruge doesn't buy it and he says to his officer "He's hiding something. We may have hit him more seriously than I thought".  Torg then asks Kruge "How can you tell that?" and Kruge says "I trust my instincts".

So, Kruge then addresses Kirk "Admiral Kirk, this is your opponent speaking. Don't lecture me about treaty violations. The Federation, in creating an ultimate weapon, has become a gang of intergalactic criminals. It is not I that should surrender but it is YOU!".  Kruge then takes a moment and continues "On the planet below, I have three prisoners from the team who developed your doomsday weapon. If you do not surrender immediately, I will execute them one at a time as enemies of galactic peace!".  Kirk outraged then says "Who is this?!  How dare you take prisoners!" and Kruge shouts "Who I am is not important!  That I have them is!".  Then after Kruge let's Kirk speak to David and Saavik, Kruge orders for one of them to be killed, which ends up badly for David.  So, after Kirk furiously calls Kruge a "Klingon bastard!" Kruge says to him "There are two more prisoners, Admiral.  Do you want them killed too?!". 

Then after Kirk agrees, Kruge gives him two minutes to inform his crew, Kruge then turns to Torg "Take every last man, form a boarding party armed heavily!".  Torg protest "They outnumber us, Lord..." but Kruge yells "WE ARE KLINGONS!!!  Once you control the ship, we'll transfer our flag there and take Genesis from their own memory banks!".  And as Kruge's men board the Enterprise, they find the bridge deserted as Kirk and the others have beamed down to Genesis.  So, Torg radios Kruge and tells him "My Lord, the ship appears to be deserted" and Kruge asks "How can that be?  They're hiding!" and Torg says "The bridge is run by computer, it is the only thing that is speaking".  Kruge curiously asks "Speaking? Let me hear" and Torg puts his radio up to the bridge computer's self destruct countdown and Kruge reacts in horror as he realises what is happening and he yells "GET OUT!!! GET OUT OF THERE!!!! GET OUT!!!" just before the Klingons are blow to bits.

And last of all is Kruge's showdown with Kirk as the two of them fight each other on the surface of Genesis as it is destroying itself.   So, Kruge says to Kirk "Genesis!  I want it!" and Kirk tells him "Beam the Vulcan up and we'll talk!" and Kruge says "Give me what I want and I'll consider it".  Kirk however shouts at him "You fool look around you!  The planet's destroying itself!" and Kruge says "Yes, exhilirating isn't it?!" and Kirk then says "If we don't help each other we'll die here!" and Kruge accepting his fate says "Perfect!  Then that's the way it shall be!" just before they start their fight. 

And while they three of them have limited screen time, Walter Koenig, George Taeki and James Doonan also provide nice performances Chekov, Sulu and Scotty respectively.  Sorry but I couldn't really find many notable lines for Walter Koenig, so unfortunately I don't have any of his scenes to add here (I think Walter was handed a bit of a bum steer in Star Trek III!).   

As for James Doohan, well he has a few good moments such as the scene at the start where Kirk asks Scotty for a repair estimate on the Enterprise as a result of the damage it took from their battle against Khan (in Star Trek II). So, as Kirk asks "How much refit time do we have?" and Scotty tells "8 weeks, Admiral, but we don't have 8 weeks, so I'll do it for you in two!".  Kirk then smiles and asks Scotty "Have you always multiplied your repair estimates by a factor of four?" and Scotty grins and says "Of course, sir!  How else can I keep my reputation as a miracle worker?!" and Kirk tells him "Your reputation is secure, Scotty!".

Then there is the scene where Doohan get to deliver one of the film's best lines where he is about to sabotage the new USS Excelsior starship he has been assigned to, and the automated elevator voice asks him where he wants to go and he says "Transporter room!" and the voice says "Thank you" and Scotty sharply replies "Up your shaft!".

And last of all there is the moment where Kirk along with his crew, steal the Enterprise and as the fleet's flagship is about to pursue them, the Excelsior, it packs in as it tries to jump to warp speed.  And in the next moment, Kirk says to Scotty "Scotty, as good as your word" and Scotty smiles and says "The more they over think the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain!". 

George Taeki as Sulu also get's a funny moment where he teases a big security guard who was yawning and says "Keeping you busy?".  So the tall guard stands up, towering over Sulu and says to him "Don't get smart. Tiny!".  And in the next moment, Kirk knocks out one of the guards and take McCoy and Sulu grabs the big guy and slams him into the wall and says to Kirk "Side elevator! Agents are on their way up!" and he then throws the big guard to the ground and destroys the comms console and says to the guard "Don't call me tiny!".

Nichelle Nichols as Uhura is also good in her role once more as the Enterprise's trusty communications officer.  And Nichelle's best scene is when she has to deal with a young cocky, Starfleet officer, Mr Adventure (Scott McGinnis) who wants to go places with his career and he puts down Uhura, who appears to be carry out her duties.

So, Mr Adventure says to Uhura "Look at you. You're a twenty-year space veteran, yet you pick the worst duty station in town. I mean, look at this place. This is the hind end of space!" and Uhura says "Peace and quiet appeals to me, Lieutenant".  Mr Adventure however carries on "Well, maybe that's okay for someone like you, whose career is winding down. But me, I need some excitement, some adventure... maybe even just a surprise or two!".  Uhura then warns him "Well, you know what they say, Lieutenant. Be careful what you wish for. You might get it!" and at this point Kirk and the others enter the room much to Mr Adventure's surprise. 

Mr Adventure then complains that "This is damned irregular!  No destination points, no encoded IDs!" and Uhura says "All true" and Mr Adventure challenges her "So, what are you gonna do about it?" and Uhura tells him "I'm gonna do anything about it.  You're gonna sit in the closet!".  Mr Adventure in disbelief then asks "The closet?! Have you lost all your sense of reality?!" and Uhura tells him "This isn't reality..." and she suddenly pulls a phaser on him and says "...this is fantasy!".  Mr Adventure suddenly looks nervous and Uhura asks him "You wanted adventure, how's this? The old adrenaline going, huh? Good boy. Now get in the closet!".  So, Mr Adventure awkwardly get's into the closet and the door slides shut and Kirk asks "Can you handle that..." and Uhura smiles and says "Oh, I'll have "Mr. Adventure" eating out of my hand, sir. And I'll see all of you at the rendezvous". 

Robin Curtis who takes over the role of playing Lt Saavik also does a good job here although she is arguably not quite as good Kirstie Alley, but she does play Saavik in a more logical way.

Robin has some good moments in her performance also that include the one where on the Genesis planet, Saavik confronts David over his careless choices when constructing the Genesis device as the planet starts to show signs of instability.  So, Saavik says to David "It's time for total truth between us. This planet is not what you intended or hoped for, is it?" and David says "Not exactly" and Saavik asks "Why?" and David tells her "I used protomatter in the Genesis matrix".  Saavik after a pause says "Protomatter. An unstable substance which every ethical scientist in the galaxy has denounced as dangerously unpredictable".  David then tries to rationalise his decision "It was the only way to solve certain problems" and Saavik replies "So, like your father you had changed the rules" and David insists "If I hadn't, it might have been years, or maybe never!".  Saavik then says pointedly to David "How many have paid the price for your impatience? How many have died? How much damage have you done? And what is yet to come?"

SPOILER WARNING FOR THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH!

And last of all is Robin's most notable moment when David has been killed, she calmly tells Kirk on the radio "Admiral, David is dead".  This might appear to be a badly acted moment, but considering that she is Vulcan and they are a logical race, it makes sense that she wouldn't be overcome by emotion.

Merritt Buttrick again as David provides a good performance and he too has his good moments that include the scene near the start where onboard the USS Grissom, David is with Saavik as the two of them work together monitoring activity on the Genesis planet.  So, in the scene Grissom's Captain, Esteban (Phillip R Allen) says to David "Doctor, this is your planet" and David cheerily says "Begin scanning please" and then to Saavik "This is where the fun begins, Saavik!" and Saavik shakes her head and says "Just like your father. So human!". 

And last of all is Merritt's last scene, which is quite poignant as David and Saavik are being held hostage on Genesis by Kruge's men and Kirk speaks to David over the radio as the Kruge let's Kirk speak to David and Saavik one at a time.  So, David says to Kirk "Hello, sir. Its David" and Kirk says "I'm sorry I'm late" and David tells him "Its alright, I should have known you'd come. Saavik's right, this planet will destroy itself in hours".  Kirk asks David "David, what went wrong?" and after a pause David says "I went wrong" and Kirk, puzzled says "David, I don't understand" and David replies "I'm sorry, sir. Just don't surrender. Genesis doesn't work. I can't believe they'd kill us for it".

Mark Lenard next does a fine job playing Sarek, Spock's father, and his main scene and best is when Sarek arrives to confront Kirk over why he abandoned Spock.

So, as Kirk offers his condolences, Sarek interrupts him and says "Spare me your human platitutes, Kirk. I have been to your government and I've seen the Genesis information and your report!".  Kirk says to Sarek "Then you'll know how bravely your son met his death" but Sarek angrily asks "Why did you leave him on Genesis? Spock trusted you! And you denied him his future!".  Kirk puzzled says "I saw no future" but Sarek tells him "Only his body was in death, Kirk! And you were the last one to be with him!" and Kirk says "Yes I was" and Sarek insists "Then you must know you should had come with him to Vulcan".  Kirk, still confused asks "But why?" and Sarek tells him "Because he asked you too! He entrusted you! With his very esscence. With everything that was not of the body. He asked you to bring him to us and to bring that which he gave you. His Katra. His living spirit!".

Sarek then asks Kirk "Kirk, I must have your thoughts.  May I join with your mind?" and Kirk says "Certainly" and Sarek performs a mind-meld with Kirk only to find that the katra is not there.  So, Sarek solmely says "Forgive me, it is not here. I had assumed he mind-melded with you. It is the Vulcan way, when the body's end is near".  Kirk explains "We were separated.  He couldn't touch me" and Sarek softly says "I see" and then with sadness he says "Then, everything he was...everything he knew...is lost".  However as Sarek is about to leave, Kirk says "Please wait! He would have found a way. If there was that much at steak, Spock would have found a way!" and Sarek says "Yes. But how?".  

WARNING: THIS LAST PARAGRAPH IS A SPOILER ALSO!!!

And last of all is Leonard Nimoy himself, who appears briefly as Spock at the end and in the scene he has a good little moment with Bill where Spock speakes to Kirk.

And Spock asks him "My father said you came back for me.  Why would you do this?" and Kirk tells him "Because the needs of the one, outweigh the needs of the many".  Spock then starts to remember his last words before he died "Ship out of danger?" and Kirk says "Yes, Spock.  You saved the ship, you saved us all!".  Spock then takes a long moment and he then turns to Kirk and says "Jim...your name is Jim!" and Kirk smiles and says "Yes, Spock".  And then the rest of the crew gather round Spock and all greet him warmly and Spock, even through his logical demeanour, manages a brief smile and he turns to Kirk and raises his eyebrows! 

DIRECTOR, EFFECTS AND MUSIC

Finally moving onto the direction, Leonard Nimoy took over the directorial helm in this film after Nimoy insisted that he would return to the film series only if he could direct it to which of course Paramount pictures agreed to!

And Nimoy here does a very fine job with Star Trek III and he keeps up the tone from Star Trek II where the regular characters are all engaging and he also allows for a decent balance of action, drama and fun.  Nimoy himself also appears as Spock toward the end of the film, so this would allow him to oversee the directorial duties more easily and as his debut this certainly is a pretty good effort.  

In regards to the special effects, once again they were provided mostly by Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) and this time we have four spaceships on display with the USS Enterprise, Grissom, Excelsior as well as Kruge's Klingon bird of prey.  Overall once again the special effects for the ships are all very impressive and one of the new effects we see in the film is the Klingon cloaking device, which is well used.  However the most notable effect in the film is of course the destruction of the Enterprise, and its one of the film's most memorable images as Kirk, McCoy, Sulu, Scotty and Chekov have safely beamed to the Genesis planet, we see the smouldering remains of the Enterprise fire down in the distance.

As for the film's music, we are treated to another very fine score by James Horner, who follows up his terrific work from Star Trek II with another wonderful effort here, which has the perfect mix of drama, adventure and atmosphere.  Horner reprises some of the themes from the second film, but he also adds in plenty of great new cues, such as the one used in the Enterprise self destruct sequence, and the scene where they attempt Spock's "refusion" on Vulcan.

FLAWS (Warning: this section may contain spoilers!)

As for Star Trek III's flaws....yesss it does have some but they are mainly connected to the plot.

For starters, I found it a bit daft as to how David decided to carelessly use an unstable substance in the Genesis matrix that would ultimately cause the planet's destruction when his mother, Dr Carol Marcus, was also overseeing the project.  I mean if that is the case then surely she would have known the dangers and not have allowed it!  But, nah, this is one part of the plot where they need to find a way to quickly destroy the planet, so they pin on in scientific ineptitude rather than anything else!

Another issue was to do with Kruge's interest in the Genesis project and how he was soon keen to get his hands on the materials only to hear later from Saavik first hand how it was a total failure.  And later, Kruge challenges Kirk to provide him with the Genesis data but again by this time its clear it was a total disaster as the planet was collapsing around them, so why bother go through all that anyway?!  Instead, Kruge at this stage, decides to go on a self destruct mode himself as he is intent on taking Kirk down with him.

Its also a bit daft that Kirk didn't twig alot sooner that McCoy was suffering the effects of a Vulcan mind-meld, even when Sarek popped round to meet him.  This should have been a bit more apparent to him when Sarek tells Kirk about Spock's katra and how McCoy earlier mentioned to Kirk "Climb the steps of Mount Seleya!" and maybe at this point, Kirk could have put two and two together and went "Ah wait a minute!  One of my crew has been acting a bit funny lately!".

I also found it a bit convenient how they managed to get Spock off the Genesis planet not only in the nick of time but also just at the right time in Spock's life cycle to be most likely the correct age that Spock's body would have been before he died!  It was a pretty jammy bit of luck in itself that's how things went as Spock could have been alot older if they hadn't!

Then there is the whole thing involving the Genesis proposal video, which in this film is presented by Kirk and not Dr Carol Marcus, which in itself is a bit curious, as it was Carol's project in the first place, so why would Kirk need to re-record the proposal himself??!!  Its more likely just a plot device, so that Kruge can meet with Kirk later on although it is reasonable to assume that Kirk might have been asked to record his own version of the Genesis proposal I guess.  Even so though, I still find it a bit weird at times they didn't use Carol's footage instead. 

And last of all I thought it was a bit strange in the scene where Kruge's Vulcan mistress, or whoever she was, who transferred the Genesis data to him, would admit that she had looked at the data as that ultimately lead to Kruge having to kill her, as she could have just kept her mouth shut and not told him!  But again perhaps that's how the Klingons roll in terms of honour, they make a mistake and they own up to it and then get killed.    

Anyway that's it for the flaws!

SUM UP

So, in summing up, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, is a very enjoyable follow up to the very successful, Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan, even if it wasn't as critically lauded as much as its predecessor, it is for me, easily the best of the odd numbered Star Trek films.  And the regular cast here are all thankfully just as engaging as they were in ST II, so it was great to see them continue that formulae.  The film is also very well backed up by a fine score by James Horner aswell as some good visual effects and solid direction by Leonard Nimoy.

And for me after 33 years, Star Trek III, is still a film I have good memories of and to this day still enjoy watching.

Right, so that's it for now and I will be back with hopefully a final review of the year before 2018 arrives.

So, till then its bye for now!

Wonder Woman Revisited "Well, where I'm from that's called slavery!"

Right, as Christmas is almost upon us, I thought I would do another quick review, which is actually yet another revisitation, which will cover one of the year's most lauded superhero movies, Wonder Woman.

So, six months on from its release, how does Wonder Woman fair??? Well, let's take another look!

And yes, the usual warning is coming up...

SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!!!

STORY

So, the story begins with Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) recalling her past and it cuts to when Diane was a child and where she was born and raised in Themyscira, which is home to the Amazons, who are a race of warrior women that were created by the gods of Mount Olympus.  Diana requests as a child to train as a warrior however her mother, Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) refuses to allow it, so Diana starts to train in secret with her Aunt, General Antiope (Robin Wright).

Some years later when Diana has become a young woman, she sees a plane crash off the coast of Themyscira and she dives in and rescues the pilot, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine).  However they are soon interrupted by the arrival of German soldiers, who were pursuing Steve but as the soldiers arrive, the Amazon warriors lead a charge and kill the soldiers, however Antiope is killed during the battle as she tried to protect Diana.

Steve is then taken prisoner by the Amazons, who wrap the lasso of truth around him to force him to tell the truth of why he is there and he tells them that he is a spy working for the British during World War I.  Steve also tells them that he stole a notebook from a chief German scientist, Doctor Maru (Elena Anaya) who is creating a deadlier form of mustard gas under the orders of General Ludendorff (Danny Huston).  Diana believes that Ares, the God of war is behind WWI and decides to go with Steve to find and destroy Ares in the hope that this will end the Great War.......


THOUGHTS

Well after the dreary DCEU films such as Man of Steel and Batman vs Superman, not to mention critically maligned ones such as Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman is thankfully a real breath of fresh air for the series.  Here we have a film that is both very entertaining and engaging and thankfully features plenty of humour and a much lighter tone than many of the previous DCEU films that we have seen.  However the film also has its share of great action throughout and the action scenes involving Wonder Woman are terrfic and the WWI sequences are very impressively staged.


What's even better and more important is that the character of Wonder Woman here has been given a strong moral code and centre and she is character that shows great compassion but also great ruthlessness for her enemies.  And in the film Diana (aka Wonder Woman) allows for plenty moments of humour when she fails to understand many of socities traditions and cultures as well blossom a romance with Steve as the film progresses.  So its great to see a film that balances out its mix of drama, suspense, thrills and fun so well.

PERFORMANCES AND NOTABLE SCENES (Warning: this section contains spoilers!)

As for the performances well they are all very good and the cast are all in good form.

To start off, Gal Gadot is excellent in her role as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman and it also kind of helps too that she just happens to be also drop dead gorgeous!  Gadot throughout the film gives Diana a great mixture of compassion, humour and toughness and it appears to be a role that she was born to play as she manages the action scenes just as well as the humour and drama.

And Gal has her share of highlights in the film that include the scene where Diana and Steve embark on their journey to join the warfront and fight against Aries and Diana reveals that she is aware of carnal pleasures (although she has never experienced them) as he has read books on the subject.  So, Diana says to Steve "I've read all 12 volumes of Clio's treatises on pleasure" and Steve awkwardly asks her "All 12?" and Diana says "Uh-huh" and Steve asks "Did you bring any of those with you?".  Diana then goes to tell Steve "You wouldn't like them" and Steve asks why not and Diana tells him "They came to the conclusion that men are essential for procreation, but when it comes to pleasure... unnecessary".

Then there is the scene where Diana and Steve arrive in London and meet with Steve's personal assistant, Etta Candy.  So, as Etta introduces herself to Diana she says "I'm introducing myself. It's Etta Candy. I'm Steve Trevor's secretary" so Diana asks her "What is a secretary?" and Etta says "Oh, well, I do everything. I go where he tells me to go, I do what he tells me to do" and Diana says "Well, where I'm from that's called slavery!".

Another good scene is when Diana and Steve enter a private meeting with British generals and they discuss an armistice with the Germans and that Steve should do nothing to interrupt that, leaving the possibility that the villainous German, Luddendorf will release lethal gas that will kill millions.  So, Diana is outraged and angrily says "You would knowingly sacrifice all those lives as if they mean less than yours!".  Steve then tries to stop her talking but Diana continues "Where I come from, generals don't hide in their offices like cowards. They fight alongside their soldiers. They die with them on the battlefield!".  Then as Steve starts to try and usher Diana out the room, Diana turns to the generals and with disgust says to them "You should be ashamed!  You should ALL be ashamed!".


As for Gal's humourous moments, there is a very funny scene where she tries her first ever ice cream from an ice cream vendor and she loves it.  And as Diana tastes the ice cream and she gasps with amazement and joy and says "This is wonderful!" and she says to the vendor "You should be very proud!".  

Then we have the great moment where Diana reveals her Wonder Woman outfit when she attempts to cross No-Mans Land but Steve tries to convince her not to try as it would be suicide.  So, Steve angrily says "This is not something you can cross. This is not possible!  We can't save everyone in this war. This is not what we came here to do!".  However then Diana with passion says to him "No...but its what I'M going to do..." and she takes off her gown revealing her Wonder Woman outfit and takes her sword and shield and steps out of the trenches and makes a heroic charge across No-Mans Land.

WARNING: NEXT TWO PARAGRAPHS REFER TO BIG SPOILERS!!!

Another good scene is when Diana confronts Ludendorf and after he briefly manages to stay toe to toe with her, due to snorting some power enhancing drug (concocted by Dr Maru) it soon wares off and Diana beat Ludendorf into submission and she stands over him.  And Diana says to him "I am Diana Temiscira...daughter of Hippolyta...Queen of the Amazons. And your wrath upon this world is over. In the name of all that it is good in this world...I hereby complete the mission of the Amazons...by ridding this world of you...forever!".  Diana then stabs Ludendorf, killing him and afterward she gives a gasp of relief but then looks over and sees that that his death has changed nothing and the war goes on.

Then there is the scene where Diana fights the real Aries (OK I won't say who it is a this point!) in a heated and lengthy battle, which Diana finally prevails in.  In the scene Diana is about to kill Dr Maru under Aries demands for her to do so but Diana recalls her last moment with Steve, who runs off to hijack the plane carrying the nerve gas (which he blows up with himself onboard).  Diana then choose to let Maru live and she tells Aries "You are wrong about them. They are everything you say...but so much more!".  Aries furiously tells her "They do not deserve your protection!!!" but Diana says to him "It's not about deserving. It's about what you believe. And I believe in love" and she poises herself to finish him off as she rises up into the air and says "Goodbye brother!" and zaps him with lightning. 

Chris Pine next is very good in his role as Steve Trevor, Diana's love interest for the film and also an American soldier spy working for the British during the First World War.  Chris also shares a nice onscreen chemistry with Gal so the two of them work very well together.

Chris also has some good scenes but I will only mentio a couple such as the one near the start where Steve bathes in a pool of water and Diana comes in when he steps out naked and he covers up his privates.  And Diana looks at him and asks "Would you say your a typical example of your species?" and Steve awkwardly says to her "No...I would say that I am... above average!".  Diana then looks at something and asks "What is that?" and Steve awkwardly says "That is a watch" and Diana asks "What does it do?" and Steve says "It tells the time.  It tells you when to eat, when to sleep..." and Diana amused asks "That little thing tells you what to do?".

Then there is the scene where Steve and Diana embark on their journey to London and Steve asks her "Have you ever met a man before? What about your father?" and Diana says "I had no father.  My mother sculpted me from clay and I was brought to life by Zeus" and Steve, a little surprised says "Well that's neat!".

Another good sene is when just after Steve and Diana exit the generals meeting in London and Diana is disgusted with their attitude to the war and the threat of the German gas as they plan to do nothing but try to arrange an armistice with the Germans.  So, after they leave Diana angrily says to him "You didn't stand your ground!" and Steve says to her "Because there was no chance of changing anything!".  Diana then angrily tells Steve "The millions of people you talked about, they will die!" but Steve tells her "We are going anyway!" which surprises Diana who asks "You mean you were lying???!" and Steve shouts back "I'm a spy!  That's what I do!".  Diana then asks him "How do I know you're not lying to me right now?!" and Steve reaches for Diana's lasso of truth and wraps it around his hand.  Steve then looking uncomfortable from the effects of the lasso says to her "I'm taking you to the front. This is a terrible idea! We're gonna need reinforcements".

Then there is the great moment where Steve, Diana and his fellow reinforcements arrive at No-Mans Land in the trenches and Steve tries to convince Diana that they cross the area.  So, Steve tells her "This is No Man's Land! Diana! Means no man can cross it, alright? This battalion has been here for nearly a year...and they barely gained an inch. Alright? Because on the other side, there are a bunch of Germans pointing machine guns at every square inch of this place. This is not something you can cross. This is not possible!". 


Another good moment is when Steve manages to enter a private party held by Ludendorf wearing a German uniform and at the party, Steve approaches Dr Maru and puts on a fake German accent.  So, Steve says to her "Excuse me" and Maru asks him "Have we met?" and Steve tells her "No, but I have been watching you. Following your career. You are Dr. Isabel Maru. The most talented chemist in the German army. I am a friend. I hope I'm not causing any... I know you and General Ludendorff are...very close".  Steve then tells Maru "Tell me some one like me behind you...I could provide a lot more.  Dr Maru then asks Steve "Who are you?" and Steve tells her "A man who shows you appreciation a genius like yourself deserves.  I love fire. Don't you? It is like...a living act of entropy. The ultimate weapon of destruction. Reminding us that in the end...everything eventually returns to the ash it came from.There is something reassuring about it. I see all of that in your eyes". 

Last of all is the moment just after Diana kills off Ludendorf and she is upset, believing him to be Ares, that the war hasn't ended, so Steve tries to explain to her that its not that simple.  So, Steve says to Diana "Maybe we don't! But it's not about that. It's about what you believe. You don't think I get it, after what I've seen out there? You don't think I wish I could tell you that I was one bad guy to blame? It's not! We are all to blame" and Diana says "I'm not!" but Steve insists "But maybe I am! Please. If you believe that this war should stop...if you want to stop it...help me stop it right now. Because...if. If you don't, there will be thousands more". 

WARNING: AGAIN THIS NEXT ACTOR SECTION FOR DAVID THEWLIS SECTION IS A BIG SPOILER IN ITSELF!

David Thewlis next is not too bad at all in his role as Sir Patrick, a speaker for the imperial war cabinet in London.  However it is soon apparent that Sir Patrick is not entirely what he seems as the film carries on.  And Thewlis does have some good moments even though I would have to say that this is a role that he was miscast because even though he is well suited to playing Sir Patrick, he is less suited to his alternate role, which I will mention in a bit!

So, as for Thewlis's moments they include the scene where Sir Patrick turns up just after Diana has killed off Ludendorf and he reveals himself to be the real Ares, God of War!  So, Sir Patrick tells Diana "You were right, Diana. They don't deserve our help. They only deserve destruction".  So, Ares then goes on to explain "I'm not your enemy, Diana. I'm the only one who truly knows you. And who truly knows them, as you now do. They always been and always will be...weak, cruel, selfish...and capable of the greatest horrors. All I ever wanted was...for the Gods to see how evil my father's creation was. But they refused". 


Ares then shows Diana a vision of a paradise world without humanity and insists it is time for their destruction but Diana tells him "I can never be a part of that" which disappoints Ares who says to her "My dear I don't want to fight you.  But if I must..." and he zaps Diana with lightning, sending her reeling back" and he walks toward her and says "Oh my dear, you have so much to learn!". 

Last of all is the scene where Diana and Ares near the end of their battle where Diana is poised to destroy Ares and she tells him that the humans are capable of monstrous destruction but they are capable of so much more and "I believe in love".  So, Ares then yells at her from the top of his voice "THEN I SHALL DESTROY YOU!!!!!" and well....you can guess the rest. 

Connie Nielsen does pretty well in her role as Hippolyta, the Amazon queen and mother to Diana although her appearance is restricted to just the first act of the film in Amazons' home in Themyscira.

But to save a bit of time I will only mention one of Connie's scenes and that's the one where, Diana is about to leave with Steve from Themyscira and Hippolyta and her warriors show up but Hippolyta realises that Diana is old enough to go and make her decisions. 

So, Hippolytua tells Diana "You know that if you choose to leave...you may never return" but Diana says to her "Who will I be if I stay?".  Hippolyta then gives Diana a sword and says "This belonged to the greatest warrior in our history...our beloved Antiope. Make sure you're worthy of it" and Diana says "I will" and takes it.  And before Diana leaves, Hippolyta tells her "Be careful in the world of men, Diana. They do not deserve you. You have been my greatest love. Today...you are my greatest sorrow.
 
Danny Huston also does well in his part as the ruthless General Ludendorff, who is out to use the nerve gas to wipe out Germany's enemies in an effor to win the war. 

And Huston his some good scenes also that include the one where Ludendorff meets with some of the German cabinet in a private meeting, however it ends badly for them.  So, Ludendorff in the scene tells the officers "24 hours from now...this war will end. It is over. It's over for you. It is over for all of you!" and he rolls in one of Dr Maru's lethal gas grenades and he throws one gas mask at them before running out the room.  Ludendorff then seals the room and Dr Maru says to him "That mask won't help them!" and Ludendorff grins wickedly and says "But they don't know that!" and they run off together.

Lastly there is the scene where Diana enters Ludendorff's private party, wearing an elegant dress (with her sword stashed down the back of her dress!) and she moves towartd Ludendorff, who suddenly grabs her for a dance.  So, Ludendorff asks her "Enjoying the party?" and Diana says "I confess I'm not sure what it is we are celebrating" and Ludendorff tells her "A German victory of course!". 

And as they waltz awkwardly together, Ludendorf tells Diana "You know your ancient Greeks? They understood that war is a god. A god that requires human sacrifice. And in exchange, war gives man purpose. Meaning. A chance to rise above his petty mortal little self. And be courageous. Noble. Better!".  Diana then insists "Only one of the many Gods brlieved in that.  And he was wrong!" and Ludendorff looks at her and says "You nothing of the Gods!" and he stops the dance and says "Enjoy the fireworks!" as he walks off.  

Elena Anaya is also good in her role as the villainous Doctor Maru (aka Doctor Poison) even though her part is somewhat small in the film.

I will only mention one of Elena's scenes and that is the one where Steve enters Ludendorff's private German party, dressed in a German uniform and he tries to chat her up.  However as Steve goes on, he suddenly notices that Diana has entered the room wearing an elegant dress. So, Dr Maru says to Steve "I appreciate your interest in my work...but I'm loyal to General Ludendorff. Besides...Now I see your attention is...elsewhere!" and she walks off.

Lucy Davis is really good in her role as Etta Candy, Steve's secretary and she also provides some of the comic relief in the film.

And Lucy has a couple of good scenes such as the one where Etta first meets Diana and she introduces herself to Diana and says "I'm introducing myself. It's Etta Candy. I'm Steve Trevor's secretary".  Diana then asks "What is a secretary?" and Etta explains "Oh, well, I do everything. I go where he tells me to go, I do what he tells me to do" and Diana says "Well, where I'm from that's called slavery!" and Etta smiles and says to Steve "I like her!".

Then there is the moment where Diana tries on loads of outfits in a clothes store, so she can blend in with her surroundings more.  So, while Diana is still changing, Steve asks Etta "Where is she?" and Etta tells Steve "She's trying on outfit 226!".  So, Diana re-emerges with her last outfit as she wears a long coat, trousers and a hat and Steve groans and says to Etta "Ms. Candy, the whole point was to make her look less distracting".  Diana then asks for Steve's glasses, which she puts on and they suit her and Etta says "Really, specs? Suddenly she's not the most beautiful woman you've ever seen?!".

And lastly there is the very funny moment where Diana in her new outfit attempts to walk out the store carrying her sword and shield and she stops as she can't get through the revolving doors.  So, Steve tells Diana "That's not gonna work.  Diana, please put the sword down!" and he tells Etta "Why don't I meet you back at the office" and he goes to take Diana's sword and shield and he says "I'll take this for safekeeping" but Diana says "Oh, no, I don't think so".  Steve insists "You gotta put the sword down, Diana!" and Etta says one of the film's best lines "It doesn't go with the outfit!".

I appreciate your
interest in my work...
...but I'm loyal to
General Ludendorff.
Besides...
...Now I see your
attention is...
...elsewhere.

Read more: https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=wonder-woman-2017 

Lucy Davis is
 also pretty good as Etta Candy, Steve's secretary although she does 
appear to be pretty heavy weight wise in the part, so I don't know if 
she put on weight to play the role as the character herself is pretty 
stout! 

Said Taghmaoui is pretty good as the secret agent, Sameer, who is an ally of Steve's who helps him and Diana out in their fight against Lundendroff. 

Said also get's one of the film's best lines when Sameer first meets Diana in a bar and when he first lays eyes on her, he is smitten and tells her "Oh my goodness, gracious. That's a work of art!".  Steve tells Diana "Sameer, is a top undercover man.  He can talk the skin off cabbage" and Diana says "He doesn't look that impressive to me" and Sameer tries to charm her and says "You do for me!  Your eyes as soft as your smile" and Diana wearily says "And yours eyes look like they want something!".

Then later in this scene, Diana quickly disables one of the rough customers in the bar by knocking him across the room with great ease, leaving everyone amazed.  And Sameer looks stunned and says "I am both frightened...and aroused!". 

And lastly there is the scene where Sameer tells Diana about his life aspirations to be an actor and he let's his charming facade drop a little.  So, he tells Diana "Not everyone gets to be where they want to be all the time. Me, I'm an actor. I love acting. I didn't want to be a soldier. But I'm the wrong color. Everyone's fighting their own battle, Diana. Just as you're fighting yours".

Ewen Bremner, also does fairly well in his role as a somewhat as the Scottish rifleman, Charlie, who is another ally of Steve's and play his part in the war effort.

And Bremner does have some good moments of his own but I will quickly just mention his first main scene where Charlie is in the bar getting beaten up where Steve and Diana walk into to find their reinforcements.  And after the fight is over, Charlie sees Steve and says "Steven! May god grow a flower upon your head son. Good to see you!". 

Steve then asks "So, what were you fighting about?" and Charlie says "I mistook his glass for mine!".  Diana is less impressed and says "This man is no fighter" and Steve tells her "Charlie is an expert marksman. Means he shoots people" and Charlie grins and says "From very far away! You never know what hit em!".  Diana then asks "So, how do you know who you kill if you can't see their face?" and Charlie says "I don't.  Trust me.  Its better that way!". 

And last of all is Robin Wright who does well in her smaller role as Antiope, Diana's Aunt and mentor, who trains her to fight, growing up but for now I won't mention any of her scenes (sorry Robin but I will add something in later!).  

DIRECTOR AND MUSIC

As for the direction, Patty Jenkins does an excellent job here with the film and she paces the story very well throughout and it only occassionally lags during its 2 hours and 21 minute running time.  Jenkins also expertly handles the film's action scenes, which are great and even better, manages to pull together a very engaging story for the audience.  Let's just say that Patty here has put Zack Snyder's efforts in the DCEU so far to shame!

And lastly there is the film's music score by Rupert Gregson-Williams which is actually surprisingly good because going into the film I was only too aware of the Wonder Woman theme, which I absolutely hated when I first heard it in Batman vs Superman.  However when you put the theme into the context of the actual film, the theme itself isn't that bad and that its actually backed up by a pretty score by Gregson-Williams makes it that bit better. 

So overall the score deserves credit here as it is pretty suspenseful and has its share of emotional cues, which work well and when that Wonder Woman theme finally kicks in, its used just at the right times.  So, well done to Rupert Gregson-Williams for pulling out this one of the bag as it definitely ranks as one of the stronger superhero movie scores in recent years.  

FLAWS (Warning: this section may contain spoilers!)

As for flaws....yeah well Wonder Woman isn't quite perfect of course.

And for starters, I would have to say that the opening section that takes place in Themyscira feels a little slow at times and the dialogue from the characters in this sequence is pretty melodramatic and hackneyed sounding.  And its when the film moves to Diana and Steve going off to war, is when the film starts to really pick up its pacing.

I also felt that the film's main villain in Ares just wasn't as anywhere near as effective as he could have been, which mainly comes down to David Thewlis being miscast in the role of Ares, God of War.  To be fair however, Thewlis does playing his alternate character well enough, Sir Patrick, but to see him be the God of War, he just isn't a good fit for the role, so it does remain one of the weaker aspects of the film. 

I also thought that Diana's naivety to the world was a bit silly at times, particularly near the end where she thinks killing off Ludendorff will automatically bring an end to the war.  However of course it simply wouldn't work that way yet Diana thinks it all comes down to knocking one bad peg out and everything else will fall into place.  Errmm, nope its never that simple, Diana!  So at this point I simply don't buy that she would be that naive and surely being brought up as a warrior, this is something she might have learned from her Aunt.

Another issue was also to do with Diana's lack of perception for other things, such as when she sees a couple holding hands and she asks Steve why they are doing so?  However, Diana did mention that she had read 12 volumes on the treatises of pleasure, so surely they have must have had some indication into the nature and behavioural aspects of relationships in there somewhere!

Then there is the issue of Diana's aging process, which I have to admit kind of bugged me a little in the film as you clearly see her grow from a little girl earlier on in the film into a young woman yet at this stage, Diana will never age physically anymore after that!  I appreciate that she is supposed to be immortal but at the same time even though she is, does that mean there is a physical age appearance cut-off for gods and goddsesses?!  I mean you could certainly imagine that Connie Nielsen's character for example looked a fair bit younger many years past when Diana was a baby or even before.  So does that suggest that a few centuries would pass before we get to see Diana look middle aged???  Achhh who knows?  But it is a strange one all the same.   

And lastly even though the film is called Wonder Woman, there isn't ONE moment in the film where Diana was in fact even referred to as Wonder Woman, which in a way is also a bit daft and seems to negate the character's title itself!  In a way perhaps that's not a bad thing though as it makes the film appear less self referential, which can be a nuisance but even so you think they could have said something along the lines of "Hey, that woman is a real wonder!" or "Hey you!  Wonder woman!" just to reference it in some way. 

Anyway that's it for the flaws.

SUM UP

So in summing up, Wonder Woman is everything that disappointed DC fans will have hoped for in a superhero film in that here we are finally given a good mix of thrills, excitement, drama, suspense and of course most importantly fun.  This film has so much more going for it than most of the DCEU films we've seen so far and is helped along nicely by its fine cast, particularly its leads performances from Gal Gadot and Chris Pine, who both share a nice onscreen chemistry together.  It also helps that Gal Gadot is a real stunner and she sells Wonder Woman's sex appeal with great ease but she certainly goes deeper than just that and provides a three dimensional character for audiences.

So after six months, my opinion of the film certainly hasn't changed and I would certainly recommend giving Wonder Woman a go as it is a film that has given the DCEU a much needed shot in the arm.  Unfortunately though, since then, the long awaited "Justice League" wasn't able to live up to the quality of Wonder Woman, which suggests that maybe WW is something of a blip in the DCEU mixed quality control, but let's hope not.

Whatever way you look at it though, Wonder Woman remains for me one of the best films of the year and certainly one of the best and most entertaining superhero films in recent years that certainly gives plenty of the acclaimed Marvel movies a good run for their money. 

Right, so that's it for now and I will be back with a couple more reviews before the end of the year but before that I will finish by wishing you all a Merry Christmas and hope you have a good one!

So, till the next one its bye for now!

Merry Christmas!

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Review "Let's go, Chrome dome!"

Well, for a change I'm getting around to doing a new review of a NEW film, which has just been released and that film in question is of course the latest Star Wars films, Episode VIII: The Last Jedi.  So, how does it fair after the success of its predecessor: The Force Awakens?  We'll let's find out!

Oh, and as this is a brand new film I won't be going into more in-depth here with my review but I will still issue the following warning...

THERE ARE SOME PLOT SPOILERS AHEAD BUT NOT TOO MUCH!!

STILL IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE FILM YOU SHOULD SKIP THIS SECTION!!!

STORY

Right, so the film begins with a group of resistance fighters lead by Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher in her last role before her death last year) who are attempting to flee their base when the First Order arrives.  However the resistance set up a counterattack, which is lead by Dameron Poe (Oscar Isaac) who disobeys Leia's orders to stand down, which results in success but also the deaths of several fighters.

The resistance are then soon attacked by Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) who destroys several resistance support fighters but hesitates to destroy Leia's command ship, which she is on.  However the ship's bridge is soon attacked by TIE fighters, resulting in Leia blasted out into space, but she manages to use her force power to survive and pull herself back onto the ship, which results in her being in a coma.  And while this is going on, ex-stormtrooper, turned resistance fighter, Finn (John Boyega) teams up with one of the mechanics onboard, Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) to disable the First Order's tracking device that can track the resistance's ships through hyperspace.  

Meanwhile, Rey (Daisy Ridley) having arrived on Ahch-To to meet with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) has a hard time trying to get Luke to help her as he refuses to train her as he blames himself for Ben Solo (aka Kylo Ren) to turn to the dark side and doesn't want to take the risk of training anyone else.  Rey and Kylo also begin communicating with one another through telepathic visions and Rey ultimately decides to go and confront Kylo in an attempt to turn him from the dark side and the evil influence of Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis).

And its from here things take a series of dramatic turns for everyone on both sides.....

THOUGHTS

The Last Jedi overall manages to succeed in being an entertaining and worthy follow up to the Force Awakens and it sees the return of the new engaging characters in Rey, Finn, the cute droid BB-8 and the Han Solo-esque Dameron Poe.  However the film's main selling point of course is the return of Luke Skywalker, by now a Jedi Master, who feels he had failed in his mission to create a whole new generation of Jedi after Kylo Ren's turn to the dark side.  And the film actually does manage to maintain a good character dynamic between Luke and Rey aswell as keep the ambivalent nature of Kylo Ren going, as continues to show his signs of torment as he is dominated by his evil master, Snoke.

The film also has one or two surprises up its sleeve as it progresses and there is again plenty of good action here although there are times where the film's "epic" running time of 2 hours and 31 minutes just feels a bit too padded out.  However I will say more about that all in the flaws section of my review.

PERFORMANCES (Don't worry no notable scenes this time!)

As for the performances, well they are all pretty good once again as the cast are all on good form.

Starting with Mark Hamill, who is at last given his deserved full screen time here in The Last Jedi as an old and bitter, Luke Skywalker and this time around Hamill get's to play Luke with a world weary sense as well as a wry sense of humour, which was largely missing from his original portrayals.  However, Hamill definitely has his share of good moments in the film but I won't say anything about them here so suffice to say this is definitely Hamill's turn to shine and he does it well.

Carrie Fisher is also once again pretty good in her role as Princess Leia, although it is sad when you realise this was to be the last performance of her career before her untimely death last December.  And in a way its almost like they made provision for this as Carrie doesn't feature a great deal here in the film but there is no doubt her prescence is still felt.

Daisy Ridley is really good once again also as Rey, the plucky young scavenger from the planet Jakku, who turns out to have a strong link to the force and she goes to meet Luke Skywalker to learn about her powers.  And Daisy's character starts to take a more serious turn here than before as it starts to mirror Luke's character when he was younger as they both set out to become Jedi and she also get's a chance to show off her Jedi fighting skills later on (and I won't say anymore than that!!).

Adam Driver is also once again excellent as the villainous yet tormented, Kylo Ren, who is really Ben Solo, the son of Han and Leia, who turned to the dark side after he began his training with Luke.  And here, Driver continues to show Kylo as something of a wounded animal but at the same time, a pretty villainous, loathsome guy too.  But Kylo this time round adds an extra dimension to his character through his telepathic connection with Rey, which ends up playing a big part in the film later on (and that is all I'm gonna say!).

WARNING: THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH DOES REFER TO A SPOILER OF SORTS!

John Boyega also makes a welcome return as the plucky Finn, a former stormtrooper, who switched allegiance to the resistance.  And Boyega pretty much get's all the best lines in the film and often provides moments of comic relief in the story and his best lines comes in a moment where Finn fights against an old enemy of his, Commander Phasma of the stormtroopers, who just before they go at it, Finn says to her "Let's go, Chrome dome!".

Oscar Isaac for me is one of the weak links in the cast here, as even though he is fairly good in his role as Dameron Poe, I just was never that keen on his actual character as he comes across as a discount Han Solo and nowhere near as cool.  So, I was left struggling to root for Dameron as a character even if he is a good guy there is something about the performance and the characterisation that left me a bit flat.

Andy Serkis also returns here as the evil Supreme Leader Snoke, who is in control of the First Order and Kylo Ren and this time Snoke takes on a more physical prescence than the hologram figure we had seen of Snoke in The Force Awakens.  Serkis naturally does a pretty good job here with the role but I have to say as the film goes along things take a rather unexpected turn with Snoke (and that is all I will say!).

Domhnall Gleeson on the other hand is actually mainly just annoying in his role as the pompous General Hux, who was second in command to Snoke and Kylo Ren and here he just does alot of shouting and barking orders.  However Gleeson's character has no real impact and is nothing more than just a whiny bitch, so ultimately for me he is one of the weaker cast members.

WARNING: THIS NEXT TWO PARAGRAPHS ALSO MAKE REFERENCE TO POINTS IN THE STORY!

Laura Dern does fairly well though in her role as Vice Admiral Holdo, who takes over command of the resistance fleet from Leia, after she is injured from the attack made on the fleet.  Dern also get's to wear a pretty cool outfit and have purple hair, which is a first for one of the more featured characters in the Star Wars series!

Benicio Del Toro on the other hand is wasted here in his role as DJ, a codebreaker, who ends up helping Finn and Rose in their task to try and disable the First Order's hyperspace tracking device.  Del Toro's performance here is no more than just reduce to him doing a something of a Tom Waits impersonation with an inexplicable stammer.  Its not Del Toro's fault of course, its more just he was given an underwritten character.

And last of all is Kelly Marie Tran, who is pretty good in her role as Rose, who joins up with Finn and helps him as they go on their task to try and disable the First Order's tracking device.  And the two of them have a fairly good rapport with one another even if the hint of an unlikely romance between them, seems to be somewhat forced (no pun intended!).

DIRECTOR AND MUSIC

As for the direction, Rian Johnson, takes control of the helm here and he does a pretty good job overall as he handles the action, the characters and the story as well as he could be expected to.  The film however does lag a bit in places, so Johnson could be accused of making the film's running time just a bit too long.  And despite any other issues, Johnson still does a fine job overall with the film and does nothing to disgrace the Star Wars series.

As for the music, well of course it is by none other than John Williams, who once again provides another very fine score here for the Star Wars series and it is filled with his usual touches and when it comes to film scores, there are very few that can contend with Williams.

FLAWS (Warning: this section might make the odd reference to one or two SPOILERS but I will try and keep it to a minimum!)

As for flaws....yes, The Last Jedi isn't quite perfect.

SPOILER WARNING HERE! 

For starters one of the problems I had to do with the film was the whole sequence of Rey meeting with Luke.  For starters, we had been waiting two whole years to see what Luke would do when Rey handed him his lightsabre.  And what does he do????  He throws it away!  Yep!  Instead of giving this scene some potential meaning, it is literally treated as a throwaway joke!    

Another issue was to do with the limited amount of any actual training Rey might be given by Luke, as you see here practice the force with Luke once and that's about it!  Any other training Rey does, she appears to undertake by herself.  Its almost like Rey might as well have not bothered turning up on the island in the first place!  You could also say that the sections between them involving her training (or lack of it) and Rey's connection with the force and Kylo Ren, also feel a bit dragged out and laboured.

ANOTHER SPOILER WARNING HERE! 
 
Then there is the whole subplot of Finn and Rose trying to track down a codebreaker at a casino on some planet where this plenty of child slave labour going on.  And the actual codebreaker they are looking for is seen playing at a craps table but he eventually turns out to have NOTHING to do with the movie after that!

The film also still leaves plenty of things unanswered, which I won't really go into here but the one thing that still isn't expanded on is Rey's past and who her real parents were as it is again totally glossed over.  Perhaps these are questions they want to leave to be answered in Episode IX but I guess we will need to wait and see.

I also felt that the film's ending was also very underwhelming and I already figured out that one of the main character's of the film (I won't say who!) was bound to get bumped off.  However the way in which this happens, its extremely lame and it could have been handled alot better than it actually was and by now I'd imagine you know who I mean!

Anyway that's all I'm going to say for now but in a future revisitational review, I will elaborate on the flaws more.

SUM UP

So, to sum up, The Last Jedi is a very entertaining follow-up to The Force Awakens, that sees the return of the old and new characters, who continue to work very well for the most part.  The film's action and visual effects are also largely great and the film is also benefited by solid performances by its cast, particularly Hamill, who steals the show at times and Ridley, Driver and Boyega also do very well again here as does the new cast member, Kelly Marie Tran.

The film however isn't without its issues and it is easily the most controversial and divise Star Wars film among the fans.  However its flaws still don't quite derail what is still an enjoyable entry in the Star Wars series.

Right, so that's it for now and I will return with another post fairly soon.

So, till the next one, may the force be with....achhh... you know what I mean!

Bye for now!  

Top 10 Curb Your Enthusiam Scenes Part 2 - No's 5-1

Right, so its time for the second part of my Top 10 list of the best Curb Your Enthusiasm scenes (well at least my own personal picks) and this part will see plenty of classics ahead for sure.

So with that said, let's get to it!

5. The Lefty Call (Series 6)

Scene - Leon tells, Larry how to deal with someone the next time he is badmouthed
 "Get in that ass, Larry!"

Right, well I had initially put a scene from this very same episode into this list, which is of course the one where Lewis and Larry argue about the frequency of which he visits the bathroom and Larry complains about how he feels like Lewis's girlfriend keeps monitoring him, as she works in the same office as Larry.

However, having had a little re-think I just had to put THIS scene in the list instead as it speaks for itself and its hilarious and its also the first real taste we get of Leon's wisdom when it comes to life in general!

An if you are a Curb fan then you WILL know this scene and it is great of course and its the one where Larry tells Leon how he was accosted by a skinhead when he was at the doctor's office as the skinhead said to him "What the fuck are you looking at, Jew boy?!  You fucking faggot!".  So, Leon tells Larry firmly "Next time a man calls you a fucking faggot, you get in that ass, Larry. Know what I mean? You get in that ass, Larry. That's what the fuck you do!".  Leon then continues to tell Larry "You gotta immediately get in somebody's ass when that happens to you! You pull their asshole open, step into their asshole, close the door behind you, - pick up your spray-paint can, right?!".

Larry stands there absorbing Leon's wisdom and Leon continues "You spray-paint "Larry was here," "Wash me," all that kind of shit, fuck his whole asshole up, eat some Snickers bar, throw some paper on the floor, read a newspaper, ball the paper up, the newspaper, and throw the newspaper on the floor, fuck his whole asshole up, you know what I'm saying? Then you open that asshole one more time open it again, open that asshole again- uhh! Step out of his ass and leave that motherfucker wide open, - so he knows you've been there!".

So, Larry reiterates what Leon has told him and he gives a high five to Leon and Leon tells him "That's how you handle people!".  Larry then finishes the scene by saying "I just hope you don't get me killed" and he walks off and Leon says to him "My man!".

Its a great scene and its a real showcase for JB Smoove's comedic talents and he get's some of the most memorable lines from the whole series right in this very episode and that's why its more than deserving of its place in the top 5.

4. The Hot Towel (Series 7)

Scene(s) - Larry stops Sammie during her anniversary gift song to Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen and later on yells at her to shut up while he is trying to sleep.  

"You squashed the spirit of a talented young girl!!!"

This next choice on the list is actually really two scenes connected together and is from the 7th series episode, "The Hot Towel" which involves a number of plot points but for the purpose of this post, the main point here is that Larry turns up at Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen's anniversary party.  And at the party, Jeff and Susie's anniversary gift to Ted and Mary is to have their daughter Sammie her own rendition of "Can't take my eyes off of you".  However the only problem with it is that Sammie can't sing to save herself, so Larry decides to intervene to put a stop to it, much to the chagrin of Susie.

So, in the first scene, Susie addresses Ted and Mary and tells them "We didn't know what to get you. You clearly have everything. We're not gonna get you a toaster or a blender, so our incredibly talented daughter Sammi, as our gift to you, is gonna sing a special song!".  So, Mary and Ted both appear quite touched by the idea but then Sammie starts to sing and she is awful and Larry quietly turns to the guests next to him and asks "Are you kidding??? Its the worst thing I've ever heard in my life(!)".

So, as Susie get's to the chorus line "I love you, baby...." Larry has had enough and he walks and puts a stop to it and says "All right. Okay. That's good. That's good. That was wonderful!".  However, Susie is annoyed and says to him "What are you doing?!  She's not done!  Why are you interrupting her, Larry?!" and Larry tells her "Song's over!".  Susie however angrily insists "No, the song was not over. You know the song was not over - and you cut her off! - I thought the song was over. You ruined the whole gift! That was our gift, for God's sake!!" and she storms off after her daughter.  So, Larry says to the crowd "Let's give her a nice round of applause!" and the crowd all give a warm and polite applause for Sammie and Larry sheepishly says to them "That was good!  That was good!  A talented kid, I tell you!".

Then there is the second scene where in another subplot, Larry is being chased by the boyfriend of an old flame, Mary Jane Porter, whom he is on a date with (however she never told Larry about her boyfriend in the first place!).  So, Mary Jane tells Larry that her boyfriend is after him when he found Larry's bandage in the bin of Mary Jane's flat, he wore her down into admitting who she had seen.  So, basically, Larry is on the run in this scene and he flees to Jeff and Susie's house where they let him stay the night.

The next morning however as Larry is trying to sleep, we suddenly hear Sammie starting to sing and Larry is in no mood to listen to it as he shouts at her "Jesus!  What the fuck?!  Shut the fuck up!!!!" and as she continues singing, he shouts even louder "SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!" which silences Sammie.  And as Larry lies back in his bed again, we hear a tearful Sammie shout to Susie "Mom!  I was singing and Larry told me to shut the fuck up!" and then we hear Susie yell "HE DID WHAT??!!".

So, in the next moment, Susie barges into the room and pulls Larry out of bed and shouts at him "OUT!!! OUT!!! You ingrate! You hurt Sammi one more time, Larry! Get the fuck out of my house, okay?!".  And as Larry anxiously tries to pick up his things to go, Susie shouts in his face "You squashed the spirit of a talented young girl! You piece of shit! You heartless piece of shit!" and she shouts him out the door "OUT!!!!".

So, there its another hilarious moment in the show that shows Larry's selfishness once more but at the same time it also shows he's got the bottle to actually stop someone in their tracks by putting Sammie's dire performance to an end at the anniversary party.  However, Ashly Holloway is also great in this scene too as she perfectly nails the part of someone who can't sing and the way in which you she overprounces her "you's" is also great in the opening lines "You're just too good to be truuuu-e!".  And the moment where Susie rushes in and berates Larry for telling Sammie to shut up is also great and she delivers one of her funniest lines in "you squashed the spirit of a talented young girl!".

So, these two scenes together is a bit of a cheat to call it one but they are both connected, so I'll count them as one and they both add up to one of the best in the show, so it definitely deserves its spot at No.4.

3. The Reunion (Series 7) 

Scene - Larry interrogates a waiter over the tip amount Jason Alexander had left him

"Did that son of a bitch give you a $20 tip??!"

So at No.3 is this scene from the 7th series episode "The Reunion" where Larry finally agrees to do a Seinfeld reunion show after so many years of putting it off, as he sees it as a way for him to possibly get back together with Cheryl, as he meets with her prior to an NBC meeting and tells him she is back acting again.  So, Larry get's the idea to write the show with a part in mind for Cheryl in an effort to win her back.

And one of the main points of the episode involves Larry speaking to each cast member of the show to see if they are interested and after meeting with Jerry Seinfield, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, he meets with Jason Alexander for lunch.  However after the lunch, Larry tries to co-ordinate the tip between him and Jason and Larry leaves just $12 but Jason refuses to tell Larry what amount he himself has left for the waiter.

So, the following day, Larry has a meeting with the final cast member, Michael Richards at the same restaurant, which has some rather erotic nude pictures hang up on display, which distracts Michael during their meeting and he doesn't really pay much attention to what Larry is saying.  So, after the meeting, the same waiter that served him and Jason the other day comes up to Larry and this is where the scene unfolds.

So, as the waiter comes over and asks Larry "How are we doing over here, sir?" Larry cheerfully replies "Doing good!  Doing good!" and then he asks the waiter "I have a question I want to ask you.  I was sitting here yesterday.  Do you mind telling me how much tip the guy I was with left you?".  The waiter then becomes awkward and says "Oh, we don't do that, we don't share that information with customers".  Larry then casually says "Share information"? Honestly, who gives a crap?! I was in here. I was with a guy. I'm just curious. What did he leave?" and the waiter says  "It was a healthy healthy tip" and Larry asks "Was mine a healthy tip?" and the waiter not so convincingly says "Yeah".

Larry then suddenly seems a bit worried and asks the waiter "Was his healthier???" and asks "Let me ask you this question: - Was it over $12? Huh? - Do you want me to refill your water or Just scratch your face with your finger if it was over $12!".  The waiter, uncomfortably says "I could really get in trouble with my manager.." but Larry tries to put him at ease and says "Nobody even knows what we're talking about!".  Larry then presses the waiter more to reveal the tip "Scratch your face with your finger if it was over $12. Go ahead, just scratch it. Was it over $12?!" and the waiter nervously scratches his face.  Larry then aghast says "Oh, For God Sake's!  What an asshole!"

Larry then presses the waiter even further and asks "Let me ask you this question: Was it over $15? Just tug on your tie up here.Was it over $15?!" and the waiter nervously says "This is making me real uncomfortable" and Larry says "Nobody's to know anything we're talking about!".  So, Larry again asks "Was it over $15?! Tug on your tie!" and the waiter tugs his tie, which prompts even more outrage from Larry, who shouts "Oh...fuck!!".

So, the waiter asks "Is that all I can get you?" and Larry says "No, don't go yet. One second. I have one more question to ask you" and he asks angrily "Did that son of a bitch give you a $20 tip?!" and the waiter confidentially asks Larry "What if it was more?".  Larry even more annoyed asks "How much more?  Was it over $30?  If its over $30, I want you to raise that cup over that pot!".  So, the waiter, who is carrying a cup and a coffee pot, politely says to Larry "Okay, I hope you enjoyed your meal and come back soon!" and he before he goes he lifts the cup over the coffee pot, leaving Larry shocked and dumbfounded.

So, this scene might not be in everyone's favourite list but its certainly a very funny scene, especially the way in which Larry's fury mounts as the waiter confidentially tells him that Jason Alexander tipped alot more than him.  Its a classic example of Larry's pettiness also and being rather tight with money and Jason's generosity obviously appears to make him resentful of it, which contributes to making this scene that bit funnier.

And for me its a scene that deserves a place on the list and it takes 3rd place.

2. The Rat Dog (Series 6)

Scene - Leon and Larry accidentally switch phones and Leon recieves a call from a friend of Larry's named Hal.

"I'm the president!  I'm hitting that ass!".

So in the runner-up spot is this brilliant and hilarious scene involving Leon (JB Smoove) who was introduced in the 6th series and quickly became one of the show's most favourite characters as Leon is the brother of Loretta Black, who's family moved into Larry and Cheryl's house after it was destroyed in a hurricane.

So, the scene is set around Larry and Leon both having the exact same model of mobile phone, which later leads to them taking the wrong phone and that ends up with both of them recieving calls from people they don't know.  Larry recieves a call from a financial services company, looking to offer Leon a job but Larry hangs up thinking the guy on the line is trying to sell him something.  Leon, on the other hand recieves a call from Hal, who is the husband of a deaf woman, Jean, that Larry inadvertnetly offended earlier in the episode and he left a message to apologise to him.

And the scene starts off with Leon in a cafe, eating some food and he answers his phone and Hal says Hey, its Hal, just returning your call" and Leon loudly says "What up, Hal!  What's goin on, boy?!".  Hal, thinking he is speaking to Larry, is a little surprised and smiles and says " Oh, nothing, uh, you, uh - are you calling to apologize?".  Leon, on the other hand is a little taken aback and says "What? The fuck you talking about, man? Look here, man. Your lady came on to me. I hit that ass and I moved on, dawg. You wasn't in town, dawg! This shit is over, man!".  Hal then smiles and plays along with Leon, still thinking its Larry and he says "Oh, okay. Oh, I get it now. You're doing the black-guy character because I'm a black guy, right?".  Leon then replies as only he can "Black man doin' his thing, baby. Barack Obama, motherfucker. Barack Obama, "I'm the president, I'm hitting that ass!".

Hal, however is no longer amused and he says"Look, that's not cool, man, all right? Actually, it's kind of offensive. Don't do it, okay?".  Leon however continues his roll " Black man's doin' his motherfucking thing in the world, baby. You feel me?!".  Hal, now really riled, says to Leon "Don't talk to me like that, okay?! It's offensive! I thought you were calling back to apologize about what you said to my wife!".  However, Leon babbles on oblivious "You have your wife back, man. I don't want the bitch no more. I just said I hit it and I quit it, man!".  Hal, finally snaps and shouts to Leon "Can't believe you, man. I cannot fucking believe you! Fuck you, Larry!" and he angrily hangs up with Leon still wittering on!

Of course, Leon has his share of great scenes in the show but I had to pick this one as probably my main favourite of his and he get's some priceless lines such as "I'm the president!  I'm hitting that ass!".  Its also a great scene because it takes the clever idea of Larry and Leon both having the same model of mobile phone and use it to comedic effect with both men recieving calls that were intended for the other.  And here, JB Smoove is hilarious the way he runs with the dialogue, which most likely was improvised by him as the show is filled with improvisations.

So, overall it maybe a short scene but its a hilarious one and one of the best from the show.

And, so my No.1 pick of the best scene from Curb Your Enthusiam (well for me anyway) is....

1. The N Word (Series 6)

Larry unintnetionally says the "n" word in hospital just as an African American doctor walks by and all chaos ensues!

"You just used the most VILE WORD in the English language!!".

Yes, at No.1 is actually two scenes put together from what is actually my favourite episode of the whole series, "The N Word" in which Larry get's into some serious hot water when he uses the "N" word in conversation, which leads to all sorts of problems on Larry's homefront and his friendship with Jeff.

So, basically the two scenes are first off, Larry at the hospital, meeting with his date, Dr Flomm and when he goes to the bathroom, he overhears a man on his mobile phone telling someone that he hurt wrist because of a three hundred pound "nigger".  Larry, shocked on hearing this racial slur, goes out and relays what the man said to Dr Flomm only he does it just at the wrong time as an African American doctor walks past Larry as he says the dreaded "N" word. 

This causes the doctor to become furious at Larry and he storms off and goes into the operation room where Jeff is waiting to get an op done to reduce his snoring and the doctor takes out his frustrations on Jeff's head and he shaves all his hair off!  And this leads into the second scene where Jeff and Susie suss out from what the apologetic doctor told them, that it was Larry that said the racial slur, so they go off to confront him!

So, to start with the first scene, Larry comes out of the bathroom in the hospital after overhearing a man say the "N" word.  So, Larry, shocked sits down and says to Dr Flomm "Oh my God. You can't believe what I just overheard in the bathroom. What an unbelievable jerk. This guy is on his cell phone, he's talking to his friend, and he's upset and he's complaining. You know, he had to move some furniture and he says to his friend, "I hurt my hand because I had to take the top because of this three hundred pound nigger..." 

And right at this point the black doctor walks by and he stops, outraged, he asks Larry angrily "What did you just say???" but before Larry can say anything, the doctor rants loudly "WHAT DID YOU JUST FIX YOUR MOUTH TO SAY???!".  And as Larry tries to explain, the doctor rants "YOU JUST USED THE MOST VILE WORD IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE!!.  Larry still tries to explain but the doctor rants on "How dare in front of me? You are despicable. I can't stand people like you. You bald son of a bitch!!" and he storms off and we still hear him shouting "I have to face this kind of wretched foolishness. This is ridiculous!!".  Larry on the other hand, looks dumbfounded and he says to Dr Flomm "Bald????????!".


So, in the next moment, the doctor goes into the op room where he sees Jeff lying unconscious on the operating table and he asks angrily "Why hasn't this patient been prepped?!" and the nurse says "He is prepped, sir".  The doctor then steps forward and says "Excuse me, nurse!  Clippers please!" and the nurse says "Sir, clippers are not required!" but the doctor says loudly "Do I have to do everything myself?!!  I know what I'm doing!! Clippers, please!".  So, the doctor takes the clippers and moves in and shaves off Jeff's hair and in the next moment we hear Jeff scream "OH MY GOD!!!! OH MY GOD!!! LOOK AT ME!!!" and we see he is completely bald!


So, this leads into the second scene where Jeff and Susie go round to confront Larry on hearing that the whole incident was down to him using the racial slur.  So, Larry opens the door and sees a bald Jeff stand infront of him with an angry Susie and Larry looks on in disbelief as Jeff shouts at him "What the fuck???!! I'm bald!".  Susie then shouts at Larry "He had a beautiful full head of hair - I'm bald! a mane that I loved and now he looks like you!" and Larry, confused asks "How did that happen???" and Jeff shouts "YOU did it!".  Susie then explains angrily "You traumatized the doctor! He described you! He said, "Bald, glasses" You said some racial slur and you traumatized the doctor - and he came in all flummoxed and SHAVED HIS FUCKING HEAD!!!!".


Larry then refers to what Jeff said earlier to him about how he'd have no problem if he went bald "You said there was nothing wrong with being bald!" and "You said you'd be alright with it!" and Jeff yells back "Yeah, in 40 years! Not fucking today! Not overnight!".  Larry then says "Your's is gonna grow back!  Mine isn't!" and Jeff spitefully says to him "That's right. You know what? Curse on you! Mine's gonna grow back, yours isn't! You deserve it!". 


So, as Jeff and Susie demand an explanation as to what Larry said to the doctor, Larry once again says the "N" word at the wrong moment as Loretta comes out one of the rooms and hears Larry say it and she instantly calls out Larry for it.  Loretta then shouts to Leon "Leon!!! Leon!!" and Leon comes out and she tells him "Larry said nigger!" and Leon, disgusted shouts "Get the fuck out of here!" and Loretta shouts to Larry "Is that what you think of us?  We're a bunch of niggers up here?!!".  Larry hopelessly tries to explain that he was quoting someone not actually saying it and then Loretta's Auntie Rae comes out on hearing the commotion and joins in. 

And finally Loretta says to Larry "LD, I told you, you had one more chance!  This is the last straw! We out this bitch!" (meaning they are leaving) and Leon repeats "We out this bitch!!".  Larry then asks them "Where are you gonna go?" and Susie offers "You can stay with us" and Auntie Rae immediately grateful says "Thank you, baby!" and she flips the bird to Larry and shouts "Fuck you, Larry!  With your monkey ass!!".  Leon then finishes off the scene with a great line where he points to Susie and says "Like how you do what you do. It's a sexy ass, Susie. Fuck you, Larry! Peace!" and he slams his bedroom door, leaving Larry astonished.


So, yeah it is a bit of a cheat this one given that it is two scenes (or two and a bit if you count the doctor shaving Jeff's head!) but its a perfect example of just how brilliantly Larry David builds up the calamitous situations in his comedy.  And by the time, Jeff's head has been shaved and he goes to confront Larry over his baldness, the comedy has reached a perfect pitch and the priceless reactions of Leon and Loretta and Auntie Rae also just add to it all beautifully.

So, for me this is the best scene (or scenes) from Curb Your Enthusiam and it takes the top spot.

SIGN OFF

Right, so that's it for now and I will return again soon with another couple of posts before Christmas comes around.

So, till the next one its bye from me for now!

Peace!

Yeah, well, it's not really working out for me, I gotta tell you.

Read more: https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/view_episode_scripts.php?tv-show=curb-your-enthusiasm&episode=s06e04Yeah, well,