Top 10 Most Annoying Dark Souls Enemies

Right, lately I have been utterly addicted to playing one game and that game is the role play action classic, Dark Souls, which has been remastered for its release on the PS4 and boy have I been putting some LONG game sessions into this one!

Anyway, so just for a change, I thought I would do a themed post on Dark Souls and this time its my pick of the top 10 most annoying enemies in the game. Now, this shouldn't be too difficult as there are plenty of annoying enemies in the game with some being way more annoying than others but I will try and get it down to just ten for the list.

And with that let's begin...

10. Giant Mosquito - found in Blighttown 

Well, to kick off this list are these bloody annoying, pesky little beggars, the giant mosquitos, who aren't too giant but they are big enough to be a real pest. The mosquitos love to buzz up around and then try and unleash a poison attack on you, which will slowly eat away at your health but you can cure this easily enough if you have a purple moss clump. However the most annoying thing about them is that they KEEP coming at you from afar as they are all over the place! The only good thing here though is that they come only in pairs, so it could be worse.

So, the giant mosquitos are certainly a nuisance and worth putting on the list at No.10.

9. Engorged Hollow - found in Painted World of Ariamis

So, next up are the engorged hollows, which can be found in the hidden level of the Painted World of Ariamis, which can only be accessed via a large painting in Anor Londo. These hollows are far more deformed in appearance than your typical one as their heads are massively swollen toxic growths (that actually looks like a big waxed bollock!).

The engorged hollows are annoying for two reasons, one they can launch fire attacks at you, which can inflict quite alot of damage, and two, when you kill them and get too close they will release toxic gas all over you. So, you will need to use a blooming purple moss clump to cure the toxic damage, which can be pretty serious if you let it go on, you will end up dying quickly!

So, yep the engorged hollows (or to put it more crudely, the bollock-head hollows!) are very annoying indeed with their fire and toxic attacks alone and they deserve their spot on here.

8. Darkwraith Knight - found in New Londo Ruins

Next are the Darkwraith knights, who are not only annoying but also quite DEADLY as they are arguably even more dangerous than the black knights that appear in the game.

The Drakwraith knights (who look quite a bit like Skeletor from the He-Man cartoon series!) have a number of dangerous moves including a lethal four strike combo, which WILL finish you off if you let them! They also have a shield, which they can use to temporarily to block your attacks although the one good thing is that the shield makes a whirring noise, so it does at least let you know if they are present in the instance that you don't see them.

Also they have a highly dangerous attack where they can drain humanity from you if you have some stored (as soft humanities, i.e. the number next to your health bar on the top left of the screen) that can also kill you if you are weak enough.  It also goes without saying that you are better not to be cornered by more than one of them as the knights will finish you off very quickly, so its best to take on one at a time if you can.

So, the Darkwraith knights are both lethal and very annoying and that makes for a perfect combination to go on this list.

7. Silver Knight Archers - found in Anor Londo

Next up are another group of knights that are found in the area of Anor Londo, the Silver Knight archers. Now there are three groups of Silver knights, one with swords, spears and of course the bloody archers! I was going to put the knights with the spears on here as they are the trickiest of the three but they are not anywhere near as annoying as the archers.

Now, it has to be said that the archers themselves aren't too difficult to kill, but there are two archers in the game that are pretty tough to kill off if you don't take care and these are the two up top of the cathedral balconies, who take shots at you as you make your way up a buttress. And if you decided to try and take them head on, you will be in a for a tough time as the main problem with the archers are they fire massive arrows that could stop an elephant! You can block these arrows of course but they also provide a significant amount of knock back when they impact your sheild and it goes without saying they will knock you flat on your ass if you are hit by one!

So, I decided to add the archers on here for those two you encounter on the balcony alone and with that their place is well deserved.

6. Undead attack dogs - found in Undead Burgh and Depths

So, next up are these deeply annoying attack dogs that can be found in two locations, the Undead Burgh and later the Depths. These dogs aren't that tough to kill, infact they are quite easy, however that doesn't stop them from being bloody annoying to deal with!

And its not so much the dogs in the Depths are annoying, its more the ones in the Undead Burgh that are a nuisance, as they attack you straight off the bat when you arrive and they can also dodge your attacks. But its the ones in the Capra Demon boss fight that are particularly annoying, as you are fighting in a cramped area and these dogs can quickly knock off your health if you aren't careful.

However, as I said, the dogs aren't that difficult to kill but they're ability to throw you off guard and their presence in the Capra Demon fight alone are enough for them to earn a place on the list.  

5. Drakes - found in Valley of Drakes

Next up are these pesky sub dragons, the Drakes, which are found, funnily enough in the Valley of Drakes area.

The Drakes basically are smaller dragons than can inflict some pretty nasty attacks on you if you get too close, as their lightning breath can wipe you out quickly if you aren't too careful and they also have a nasty bite and a dangerous lunge that can inflict heavy damage.  However dealing with one of them can be tricky enough but if you are dealing with a few of them all at once, you are better off doing one thing: RUN!!! Yeah these guys can seriously inflict major damage in groups and although Valley of Drakes is a small area, its also one of the MOST dangerous areas in the whole game and its one you are better making a quick escape from if you can.

So, the Drakes are simply annoying because of their dangerous attacks, which can make things difficult when you try and take them down and in the end its better if you try and stay clear of them, especially in packs.  And for these reasons they certainly deserve their place on here.

4. Channelers - various areas in the game

Next up are the Channelers...God!

Yep, the Channelers are a major pain in the ass in Dark Souls as they spread throughout the game in different areas, thankfully though there aren't that many of them and you usually only get one per area with the exception of the Duke's Archives where there are a few more.

The Channelers are essentially sorcerers, who can use their powers to buff (power up) nearby enemies attack power aswell as use magic attacks of their own to fight you and they also happen to have a big trident at hand too!  They can be fairly annoying earlier on in the game but they don't respawn, however when you get to the Duke's Archives they can become a real pain in the ass, as they respawn all the time!  The Channeler's magic attacks are quite powerful and they can also buff up the attacking power of nearby enemies also (which they do via a stupid dance!).  And if this all wasn't annoying enough, there are also times when you attack them, they can teleport away to another location!    

Perhaps their one saving grace however here is that the Channelers aren't that strong as you can usually kill them off with one or two hits from a powerful weapon but if they are launching their magic attacks from you at a distance, you'd be better sniping them with poison arrows to deal with them.

So, the Channelers definitely deserve a top 5 place on the list and they are sure getting one here.


3. Bloathead Sorcerers - found in Oolacile Township and Chasm of the Abyss

These next enemies are actually part of the DLC for the original Dark Souls (Artorius of the Abyss) and can be found within two areas there and they can cause you all sorts of problems if you aren't prepared for them!

Basically, the bloatheads come in two forms, one being the resident bloatheads and the others are the sorcerers but it is the sorcerers that are by far the more annoying of the two. The sorcerers use black magic, which if you get caught by it, can cause a massive amount of damage, which can wipe you out very quickly if you are low on health and it can also drain your stamina very quickly if you are using a shield to block them. They also have a claw attack, which can be performed up close, which will result in poisoning you.

The sorcerers overall aren't tough and they can be killed easily but its their dark magic attacks that make them lethal to deal with if you aren't ready for them and this makes them VERY annoying indeed! Not only that but they also have an irritating, cackly laugh that makes you want to twat them every time you hear it!

So, the Bloathead sorcerers definitely deserve their place on here in the top 3 as they can really dement you with their annoying and deadly attacks.

2. Bonewheels - found in the Catacombs and Painted World of Ariamis

So, in the runner-up spot are these absolutely infuriatingly annoying enemies that appear initially in the Catacombs level and also in the hidden level of Painted World of Ariamis and they can create merry hell if you don't watch out for them.

As for what they are, the Bonewheels are essentially skeletons, who wear a big wodden-spiked wheel that they can roll towards you at a high speed, which can result in them inflicting major damage on you, especially if you get caught by a few of them at once. The only real way to deal with them is to dodge out of their path and also keep your shield up as they come toward you.  However, the problem with the Bonewheels are that they can deplete your stamina very quickly also, even if you have your shield up, they can still wear you down and roll right through you, which can leave you with that all too familiar "YOU DIED" screen by the end of it!

So, the Bonewheels definitely deserve their place here on the list as their attacks can be quite deadly, not to mention you face them in dark areas where its hard to see where they are coming from, which also makes for a very trying time.  And for those reasons alone they deserve the runner-up spot here on the list.

And the number one most annoying enemy in Dark Souls are...

Drum roll....

1. Blowdart snipers - found in Blighttown

Yep, at the top spot are these bloody annoying beggers that appear in one of the game's most infamously annoying levels, Blighttown (which is annoying for all sorts of reasons!).

These guys are annoying for a number of reasons, firstly they are largely hidden out of the way in dark areas, so you cannot see where they are firing from, secondly, they fire toxic darts at you, which can quickly eat away at your health if you are hit by one and thirdly is that they even exist in the game!

You can of course try and block their darts using your shield, however this can have a limited effect as you somehow can still be hit by them easily (so much for your shield!). Toxic darts can quickly drain your health, so you need to ensure you have a supply of blooming purple moss clumps to cure the toxins otherwise you will be dead before you know it!

There are still two saving graces with these enemies though, one, they are very weak and can be killed easily, and two, they do not respawn after you have kill them, which is just aswell as this game would be infuriatingly more difficult than it already can be!

So, the Blowdart snipers are unquestionably the most annoying enemies in all of Dark Souls, despite their weakness as enemies, it doesn't stop them from taking the top spot here.

SIGN OFF

OK, so that's it for now and I hope you enjoyed this little list and I will be back next month with more posts.

Till then, its bye for now!       

Stir Crazy Revisited "We don't take no shit!"

OK, time for a revisitation again!

Yep, this time I'm going to re-look at one of my older posts, which is on the comedy classic, Stir Crazy, starring the dynamic comedy duo of Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor.

So, after almost 40 years (38 to be exact!) how does Stir Crazy fair???  Well, let's strap ourselves in and have another look....

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

PLOT SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!!!

STORY

So the plot is pretty simple as it follows two New Yorkers, a playwright, Skip Donohue (Wilder) and an out of work actor, Harry Monroe (Pryor) who decide to leave New York and head for Hollywood.  On their journey they stop off in Arizona and they get a job at a bank doing a song and dance routine dressed as a couple of woodpeckers.  On their lunch break however, two men steal their outfits and perform the routine and then proceed to rob the bank.  As Skip and Harry return to the bank they are immediately arrested and are soon sentenced to serve a 125 jail sentence. 

The two men start to serve their jail sentence but they find life very tough on the inside, and after failing to feign insanity, they end up making friends with inmates, Jesus Ramirez (Miguel Angel Suarez) a robber, and Rory Schultebrand (Georg Stanford Brown) a gay man who killed his stepfather.  After three months of their sentence, Skip and Harry are taken to see the warden, Walter Beatty (Barry Corbin) who has Skip ride a mechanical bull, which Skip rides successfully at maximum speed.  The warden impressed by Skip's performance on the bull decides he will use him to represent their prison in an annual rodeo.

Skip however soon learns the truth about the rodeo from Jesus and Rory, who tell them it is in fact a corrupt operation run by Beatty and another rival prison warden and the money from the rodeo goes straight to the wardens as a result.  Jesus and Rory also tell Skip to hold out on the warden if he get's picked in order to work a deal for themselves, which Skip does.  As a result, Beatty has Skip punished by putting him on a gruelling work detail, chaining him up and even placing him solitary confinement, as well as sharing a cell with the most feared prison inmate, a mass murderer called Grossberger (Erlan Van Lidth). 

However none of this breaks Skip's spirit, and he eventually succeeds in getting his deal over to Beatty, where he asks to pick his own team and get a larger cell.  Meanwhile Skip and Harry's defence lawyer Len Garber (Joel Brooks) along with his law partner, Meredith (Jo Beth Williams) try to prove their innocence as they track the leads of the two men who actually robbed the bank.  And as the film nears its end, Skip and Harry attend the prison rodeo, where Skip must ride and while this is going the others must try and plan their escape and make a break for it....

THOUGHTS

Stir Crazy is generally considered to be the best of the Wilder and Pryor collaborations on screen, however for me I think its a close second rather than the best as See No Evil, Hear No Evil works better as an actual comedy, as the laughs here in Stir Crazy are a bit too spread out. Regardless of that, Stir Crazy is still a very entertaining and funny film and the natural on screen chemistry that Wilder and Pryor share is what makes the film work so well.  The film recieved mixed reviews on its release although it was a commercial success, its reputation has improved over the years since then.

PERFORMANCES AND NOTABLE SCENES (Warning: this section may contain spoilers and strong language!)

Now onto the performances, starting with Gene Wilder, who is excllent in his role as the overbearingly chirpy and open minded Skip Donohue and he get's some good laughs in the film and good scenes. 

For starters, there is the scene where Skip and Harry are in prison and Skip is writing out ideas for his writing and he says "This filthy, roach-ridden reality is inspiring... what did that second policeman say to you when he grabbed you by the throat?". Harry in disbelief says "Man, I don't fucking believe you!" and Skip mistakes this for what the policeman said and he says "Man, I don't fucking believe you!" Fabulous!". 

Skip in prison first lays his eyes on Grossberger, who cuts a large frightening figure, who aggressively cuts through the inmates tables to get a salt cellar and Skip says "I wonder what triggered all that violence??  I know what it is, no one has ever simply just sat down and talked to that man".  And as Skip approaches Grossberg and mildly says "Hello!" Grossberger stands up and screams at him and Skip runs back to his seat and says "I think I'll wait till after he's had a nap!". 

Another funny moment comes during the scenes where the warden tries to "straighten out" Skip and has him placed in solitary confinement.  So, after Skip is being released by the hard-assed deputy warden, Wilson (Craig T. Nelson) "Just one more day, please. I was just getting into myself! Come on, be a pal!" leaving Wilson looking astonished.  

And the scene where he turns down the warden's offer to be in the rodeo and he says "My mother was a veternarian.  I couldn't have anything to do with the exploitation of animals, she'd turned over in her grave!" and he proceeds to have an imaginary converstion with his mother "What I said no, ma!  Are you crazy, I said no!  I have witnesses!  All right we'll talk about it in my cell!". 

And another moment that is funny is where Skip and Harry wake up in their cell together and given their extremely cramped confines of the cell, they end up trying to use the same urinal to pee and as they do, Skip says to Harry "You're peeing on me!!".  

Then there is the scene where Skip meets with one of his defence lawyers, Meredith (JoBeth Williams) who he finds attractive. So, Skip asks her "Um, you wanna know something...That's always fascinated me?Are the prison romances that sometimes spring up...Between inmates and girls from the outside...sometimes quite beautiful girls..I mean, would you, for example... Could you actually become involved...I mean, romantically... with a prisoner?".  So, after a pause, Meredith says to Skip "Absolutely not" and Skip just smiles and says "I didn't think so. I was just curious". 

Richard Pryor is also great in his role as the down to earth and rather highly strung, Harry Monroe, who follows Skip's lead on their road to Hollywood, which ultimately turns sour, as they take a wrong and end up in prison. 

Pryor has plenty of funny moments in the film such as his first scene where he works as a kitchen waiter in a mansion and one of the staff unwittingly puts half of his container of hash into the food, thinking it was oregano!  And Harry looks on bemused and says "Jesus!  You cooked half my stash!!" and later as he goes out and serves the stoned guests, one of the women, sits next to a priest, who is also feeling the effects, and she says to him "Tell me, do you get much?" and the priest thinking she means a glass of wine, says "Oh, no just the odd glass" and Harry says out loud to himself "That's not what she meant(!)". However, the priest quickly catches and looks shocked and Harry runs off.  

Then there is the scene where having just been arrested and taken to a police station's holding cells, Harry starts to strut his way into the holding cells and pretends to act tough and he says to Skip "You gotta get bad, Jack.  If you ain't bad, you gonna get fucked!".  However Harry soon drops the tough guy act when one of the big intimidating looking black guys, Big Mean (Cedrick Hardman) wearing a cowboy walks up to him not long after being punched unintentionally by another man (Tony Burton).

So, Big Mean says to Harry, who is now in tears and being comforted by a nervous looking Skip "Gonna need a light". Harry then tries to get back into his tough guy voice and he says "Man needs a light!" so he tries frantically to light a match he has and ends up striking it on Big Mean's chest and it lights and Big Mean grabs Harry's hand forcefully and uses it to light his cigarette with Harry, terrified, saying "Oh shit! Oh shit!". Big Mean then says to Harry "You're a short son of a bitch, ain't you?" and Harry nervously says "Yes I'm a short son of a bitch, my daddy was a short son of a bitch, my mother was shorter than him, and my brother, my brother was so short we couldn't even see him!".

And later during their prison sentence, when Harry tells Skip about Jesus and Rory's plan to bust out and Skip looks on at the men in surprise, who all nod at him. And Skip asks Harry "Harry, are they talking about a prison break?" and Harry says "You bet your ass! I don't think I can take 30 years in this place and I know you can't.  We gotta get the fuck out of here!". 

And another funny moment is in the scene where one of the inmates, Blade (Charles Weldon) while at the prison stables tells Harry how to handle a bull, which is in the stalls, and there is one word which will drive it crazy and he leaves Harry to figure out the word.  And Harry goes through all sorts of things such as "Rumplestilskin" and ends up just saying "Shit!" and the bull goes mad and charges after him with Blade shouting after him "Congratulations! You found the word!".  

Another funny moment comes after Skip and Harry after a heavy day's work detail outside, Harry shakily walks into his cell and collapses in a heap and in the morning, they both wake up side by side in a heap.  And Harry tries to get ready by putting his leg into Skip's remaining trouser leg, as Skip has his other leg in the other one, and Harry screams "I can't feel my other leg!!". 

In the supporting roles Barry Corbin is very good as the prison warden Beatty, and given his Southern drawl, Corbin is perfect for the role and he does a fine job with it. 

And I will mention a couple of Corbin's scenes such as the one where the Warden has Harry try out the mechanical bull in the Warden's office. So, after Skip manages to stay on after the deputy warden, Wilson puts the speed up to maximum, the warden looks on amazed and let's Harry and Skip go back to their cells. And the Warden laughs and says "I don't believe what I just saw!" and Wilson says "The machine's malfunctioning!" but the Warden spits back "The machine's fine. Maybe you'd like to get up on it and try it for a six! That boy's a born cowboy!".
 
Then there is the scene where Beatty lets Skip know that he will be representing them in the prison rodeo, however Skip turns down Beatty's decision and he says "Warden, I can't do that!" and he pretends to have a conversation with his mother, saying she would turn in her grave. So, after Skip goes, Beatty looks annoyed and says to Wilson "That boy is very confused.  Straight him out!". 

Craig T. Nelson also makes an impression as the hard assed and intimidating deputy Wilson, and he has some good lines in the film, especially in his first scene where he sharply tells Skip to "Get on the BULL!!" i.e. the mechnical bull. 

Also later on where Skip comes back and makes a deal with the warden to do the rodeo and he asks for a bigger cell with better ventilation, Wilson says "What's the matter has Grossberger been fartin on ya?!".
 
Goerg Stanford Brown also is very good in his role as Rory, the gay inmate who takes a shine to Harry, and he helps them bust out of jail. 

Brown has some good moments in the film such as the scene where Rory places his hand on Harry's, who smacks it away and he asks "Why did you kill your stepdad anyway?!" and Rory says "For insulting my new fur jacket and slapping my hand!" and Harry panics and takes Rory's hand and places it back on his. 

Also there is the scene while they are out in the prison yard, Rory points out the hardened inamte, Blade, to Harry and says "Till Grossberger came along, he held the ax murder record in the Southwest. He's the man I'll get your cheese burger from".  Rory then tells a nervous Harry about Blade "Don't worry, I'll protect you! For some reason I make him uneasy!" and Harry says "I wonder why!". 

JoBeth Williams is also pretty good as Skip and Harry's defence lawyer's sister and business partner, Meredith.  And during one of their meetings in prison, Skip asks Meredith "This sound silly but have you seen "A place in the sun"? and Meredith a little surprised asks "With Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift?" and Skip says "Yeah" and Meredith, smiles and says "That's my favourite!". Skip then laughs in surprise and he tells her "That's my favourite too!" and Meredith asks him "What does that tell us?" and Skip says "That maybe we're not such strangers as circumstances would imply" and Meredith smiles and says "Maybe not".  

And the last two of the cast I will mention are Erlan Van Lidth, as the silent, towering convicted mass murderer, Grossberg, who is lumbered into a cell with Skip and Harry but later on, they become friends against all the odds. Van Lidth, actually was also a wrestler and an operatic bass-baritone singer and we even get to hear him sing in the film when Grossberger later on shows his sensitive side and starts singing. Erlan Van Lidth sadly later died of heart failure in 1987 some seven years after the film's release.

And last of all is Jonathan Banks as the convict inmate, Jack Graham, who runs a contraband operation and is a bad-ass guy, who is in cahoots with the deputy warden, Wilson. And Banks has one good scene in the film worth mentioning where one of the inmates is brought infront of Graham and one of his men ask "What do you want to do with him?" and Graham asks "How late was he?" and the man says "A week". So, Graham grabs the man and angrily says "Snort up all that nice blow...and then you forget about payin'?!! Teach him to be punctual!!" and his men beat up on the prisoner.

DIRECTOR AND MUSIC

As for the direction, Sidney Poitier does a fine job with the film as it moves along at a nice leisurely pace and despite the harsh prison environment, he keeps the tone light hearted and allows for Wilder and Pryor's antics to work well. However, at times the pacing does feel a little bit laggy but that aside its still good work from Poitier.

The film's music score however by Tom Scott remains one of the film's weaker points as it sounds pretty dated and is a bit bland and generic sounding for such a film, but it serves it purpose regardless. The film also makes good use of Kiki Dee's "Nothing's can stop us" which is used at the end and gives the film a nice rather poignant ending.  

FLAWS (Warning: this section may refer to spoilers!)

So flaws does Stir Crazy have some????  Yep its not quite perfect.

For starters the film's plot is wafer thin and there's not much story in it all, as it serves merely a vehicle for Wilder and Pryor to work their gags, which no doubt would be largely improvised but well it is a comedy after all. 

I also think there are times where the comedy takes a back seat to expand on other things such as Ramirez's family that feel a little unnecessary to add in. Not only that of course there is also the rather tedious prison break scene at the rodeo, which is pretty convoluted and seems to go on forever and again highlights the film spending less time on the laughs in these moments. 

Another thing is the ending is a bit daft as despite Skip and Harry busting out of jail, Meredith and Len turn up to tell them they are really free as they caught the real bank robbers.  However they are both still guilty of doing a prison break!  And that hardly makes them look innocent does it??  Regardless of their innocence in the robbery they have still committed an offence in breaking out! 

I also had a bit of a problem with Skip's character as well as he really is a bit of annoying dick, as well as a bit crazy as he impulsively tries to make friends with everyone, particularly people he should have no business even trying to make friends with, such as the two rednecks!  And in the end if you look at the events of the film, it really all started with Skip's decision to try and befriend the two rednecks in the bar, who as a result later follow them, watch them do their song and dance routine, and later take their clothes, do the routine and rob the bank! 

So, basically in short, while he was innocent of the robbery, its all Skip's fault, as if he was more cautious with whom he chose to socialise with, none of this would have happened. Not only that, Skip decided to go back to the scene of the crime, when they saw the police outside, to the objection of Harry but they end up getting arrested! What a dick this guy is!  

And last of all is the film's intro song, titled Stir Crazy funnily enough, is a bit duff and annoying as Gene Wilder sings over it, it doesn't really lend well to the beginning of the film and I never really liked it.

Anyway that's it for the flaws. 

SUM UP

So, in summary, Stir Crazy is still a very enjoyable and charming comedy that features Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor doing some of their very best comedic work onscreen together and their natural chemistry works brilliantly here as it would continue to do so in "See No Evil, Hear No Evil".  The film is of course not without problems as the laughs take a back seat later on in the film in favour of the prison break at the rodeo, which is a bit too overlong and the film does feel flabby at times pacing wise.

However, despite all this, Stir Crazy is definitely still worth repeated viewing after nearly 40 years.

Right, that's it for now and I'll be back with another post soon.

Till, the next un, bye for now!

Dark Souls - 5 Best Bosses

Well for this post, I decided to do something just a little different, as I have now completed the action roleplay game, Dark Souls, I thought I would look over some of the best bosses in the game as there are plenty for sure!

Now, some bosses in the game are tougher than others and that is certainly one area of the game that can be a bit inconsistent is the difficulty of the bosses, as one can be really easy whereas another can be infuriatingly tough!  But, I guess this is just Dark Souls for you!

So, I have picked out five of the best bosses in the game and these are bosses I have enjoyed taking and got frustrated at in the process, which is part and parcel as to why its a great game.

And with that said, let's dive in and take a look....

ORNSTEIN AND SMOUGH

Well, this is a rather obvious and popular choice as this dynamic duo from hell will bound to be on most peoples lists and they are notoriously difficult to take on in the game especially as there are two of them as opposed to just one! And to tell them apart, Ornstein is the slim one in the knight armour with the spear whereas Smough is the big fat one with a giant hammer (so you can only guess what he does with that in the battle!).

And the background story or lore behind these two bosses are that they were left behind by Gwyn, Lord of Cinder to guard Anor Londo's cathedral (which is the area you fight them in) with Ornstein being the Captain of the Four Knights of Cinder and he was a famed dragon slayer. Smough on the other hand is an executioner, who apparently takes a little too much pride in his work and as a result he was left out of being made a knight by Gwin.

The fight itself is a brutal battle as you have to try and find a way to manouever your way around them, which is VERY difficult because Ornstein is very fast and uses lightning attacks and Smough, while slower, can quickly bludgeon you to death with his big-ass hammer! This can often lead to many a frustrating moment as you keep being repeatedly killed by these two legendarily difficult bosses. And if you kill one of them, then the surviving one absorbs the power of the other, so if Smough dies, Ornstein can absorb his strength and grow larger in size whereas if Ornstein dies, Smough will absorb his lightning abilities.   

You can of course summon another NPC (non-playable character) to help you in the fight, Solaire, who is a phantom knight and he can help you distract one of them, while you take on the other and it helps you end the fight quicker. However if you propose to do this one solo, then you are in for a LONG night!

So, Ornstein and Smough are a very tough duo to beat but they are also two of the most popular bosses and characters in the whole Dark Souls series, so that's reason alone why they are on here.

KNIGHT ARTORIUS

OK so next up is this boss from the DLC, Artorius of the Abyss and think its safe to say that this boss is one of the TOUGHEST in the whole game, period. Artorius, according to the game's lore was one of the knights of Gwyn (Lord of Cinder, i.e. the final boss) who gained the ability to walk the Abyss, so became known as Artorius the Abyss Walker. However, the abyss ended up corrupting Artorius and in the DLC, its up to your playable character to put him out of his misery to keep his honour intact.

This really is one hellishly tough boss battle as Artorius is very aggressive and fast and he has a number of devastating attacks that consists of a series of fast rolls, an aerial attack and also he has the ability to charge up his power to inflict greater damage on your character.  So, this boss fight really requires the player to have great timing in order to successfully dodge Artorius's attacks, so you need to have alot of patience and persistence as you will die many times over until you master his move set and how to evade his attacks.

Despite the difficulty level involved in beating Artorius, he's still one of the coolest bosses in the game and you feel rewarded and accomplished when you finally do defeat him and release this tormented fella from his corrupted state.

So, Knight Artorius definitely deserves a place on here as he is mighty tough and a great challenge for any gamer to take on.

THE FOUR KINGS

In the official Dark Souls game, there are believe it or not very few bosses that really present a big challenge but the Four Kings are definitely one of them, because you are fighting...well four of them! So, this makes for a pretty intense boss fight that will really challenge you and get your adrenaline going.

As for the lore behind the Four Kings, they are the wraith knight leaders of the New Londo Ruins who fell to the dark after they were tempted by the ability of life drain (again more corrupted figure heads). However it is actually essential to the game that you defeat the Four Kings because you need their souls in order to access the final area of the game (Kiln of the First Flame) so therein lies the challenge in itself!

The fight itself is a real war of attrition and you need to really try and defeat the kings swiftly as you can because if you don't more of them will join in the fight, making your life hell in trying to win the battle. So ideally you need to destroy them one by one quickly but this can be quite difficult because of the nature of the abyss (all black surrounds you) and depth perception of how you approach the fight can make it tricky to successfully home in on the kings to attack them.

Not only this but the kings have their own potent attacks that include strikes with their massive swords, a grab attack and also a devasting magic attack that can really take a big chunk off your health. So, just imagine two of them or more being thrown into the mix with this scenario in mind and you really have yourself a real long hard slog on your hands.

But again, the Four Kings challenge is part of the appeal of the fight as you feel rewarded to beat them solo because although you can summon a phantom (the Witch Beatrice) to help you fight them, the phantom won't really damage them that much.

So, the Four Kings are definitely one of the best bosses in the game because they are again pretty tough to take and its another fight that is quite tense and suspenseful and that's worth it alone.

GWYN LORD OF CINDER

 













So up next is the final boss in the game, Gwyn Lord of Cinder, who can present a big challenge but it depends on how you choose to fight him as there is one way to defeat quite easily but I will say more about it in a minute.

As for Gwyn's lore, he was a great warrior and God, who once formerly known as the Lord of Sunlight and he ended the Age of the Ancient, which the lead to him sacrificing himself to link the first flame to begin the Age of Fire. So, its actually up to your playable character to become Gwyn's successor, which means one thing: you will have to fight him...

Gwyn can be a tough boss as I said but it depends on how you choose to do the fight but if you decide to take him head on, you will bound to be killed quite quickly, as his attacks are pretty ferocious and aggressive. Gwyn's flamed sword can inflict massive damage and he also has a grab attack that involves picking you up and this is followed by a big explosion that will take about half your life away.  So its best to try and evade his attacks by rolling away from them and if you circle the rocks for cover then it is possible to get in enough strikes to kill him.

However...there is a much easier way to kill him and that involves parrying, which is where you use your shield to deflect your enemy's attack just as their weapon is about to contact with you and this results in a powerful counter-attack where you can stab your enemy and knock them down. This takes off quite a bit of Gwyn's life and if you repeat it successfully, then you can kill him quickly, however this method only works if you are really good at parrying, if not then, Gwyn is still a tough battle.

So, Gwyn Lord of Cinder, is a pretty cool boss and good fight to end the game and it might be disappointing to some that he can be pretty easy to defeat but it all depends how you fight. If you are really good at parrying his attacks, this should be a breeze but if not, you will be in for a hard fight and he is still worth ptting on the list.

MANUS, FATHER OF THE ABYSS

And last but not least is Manus, who is the final boss in the DLC and by heck he can be one tough son of a bitch, as he is mightily aggressive and has a number of brutal attacks, which I will mention in a bit.

As for his lore, Manus, despite his demon-esque appearance, was actually once human but his humanity went amok when he took over the Abyss and he set about to increase his domain and the people of Oolacile (the main area in the DLC) were consumed by the Abyss and turned into monstrous creatures. Manus has also been searching for his precious Broken Pendant, to which your character has one piece and the other is in the hands of the Marvelous Chester, who was also brought there by Manus in order to put the pendant back together.

Manus is by far the most aggressive boss in the whole game, his attacks are absolutely brutal and he can quickly finish you off with them if you don't avoid them and they can be pretty tough to avoid as well! Manus's regular attack involves a hand slam, where he uses his massive right hand to try and hammer you but he has plenty of other attacks that include a deadly six hit combo frenzy attack (which will DEFINITELY wipe you out unless you have alot of health!) a leap attack, dive attack and a horizontal sweep attack. Once, Manus's health drops down a bit, he can also start using dark magic attacks, which can be quite lethal as they can kill you off or greatly reduce your health and its important that you acquire a silver pendant, which can counter these attacks. 

Despite all his frenzied, ultra aggressive attacks, Manus can however be taken down with relative ease if you have the right gear, as I found wearing Havel's armour a good way to beat him, as this armour is heavy duty and can withstand a serious pounding and it will allow enough time to survive his attacks and top up your health with Estus and get in your attacks real close. You sould also make sure you have Havel's ring equipped (which allows you to move faster with heavy equipment loads) and the Grass Crest Shield, which will help boost your stamina during the fight, which is a must as you need alot of stamina to defeat him.

You can also summon the phantom of Sif, if you save Sif's spirit from the Humanities that hold him captive and he can help to distract Manus while you can get your attacks in but I found this to be less effective as I usually ended up dead and left Sif to fight on against Manus!

There is also a very easy way to defeat Manus, which involves sniping him with arrows from outside the fog gate (which you have to walk through before you face every boss) and if you use poison arrows then this should kill him with ease. But doing it this was is basically just cheating and takes away from the fun of the fight itself, so I wouldn't recommend doing it.

So, overall, Manus deserves to be on the list because depending on how you take him on, he can be a BIG challenge or he can be quite easy, but because of the frenzied nature of the fight, it is a fun boss battle, which is worth taking on.

SIGN OFF

OK, so that's it for my pick of the five best bosses from the original Dark Souls and they are all challenges in their different ways with some being tougher than others at times but its all down to how you fight them and that's the beauty of the game is than there is always more than one way to take on a boss.

Right, that's it for now and I will be back soon with another post.

So, till the next un, its bye fer now!  

Doctor Who - The Trial of a Time Lord Review - Parts 2, 3 & 4!

Well, I figured I would do something a little different in this post and lump in three reviews in one as I will continues to look at the remaining stories from The Trial of a Time Lord starring Colin Baker as the 6th Doctor.

So, this review will cover the following three stories: Mindwarp, Terror of the Vervoids and The Ultimate Foe. So, how do they all fair???  Well, let's take a look.

And yep the usual warning is coming...

PLOT SPOILERS WILL BE AHEAD FOR ALL THREE STORIES

MINDWARP

OK, so first up is the four part story Mindwarp, which sees the Doctor still on trial by the Time Lords and is being prosecuted by the Valeyard (Michael Jayston) who provides more video evidence of the Doctor's interference in the affairs of other planets.  So, the Valeyard show video footage of the Doctor and his companion, Peri (Nicola Bryant) arriving on the planet Thoros Beta where they soon get mixed up in a struggle with Sil (Nabil Shaban) a slug-like creature called a Mentor, who is an arms dealer.

Sil, however is with his boss, Kiv (Christopher Ryan) who's body is dying and is awaiting a brain transplant into a host body and the surgical procedure is to be carried out by a scientist named Crozier (Patrick Ryecart) of which Sil recommends the Doctor to be intended target. However, the Doctor manages to escape with the help of another test subject, Yrcanos (Brian Blessed) a warlord. And its from here that the Doctor must try and find a way to defeat Sil and rescue Peri from his clutches, as Crozier intends to make Peri the permanent replacement for Kiv's mind....

THOUGHTS

Mindwarp is a very entertaining story and a good follow up to The Mysterious Planet, which continues with the Doctor and the Valeyard bickering away at each other, while either states their case to the Inquisitor (Lynda Bellingham) who is supervising the trial. The story also features some colourful characters that sees the return of Sil, the slug-like Mentor, who previously appeared in Colin Baker's story, Vengeance on Varos. And of course we can't forget the warlord, Yrcanos, who bellows everything at the top of his voice!  The story is also quite well written by Philip Martin, who also previously wrote Vengeance on Varos.

PERFORMANCES (No notable scenes but the odd spoiler might be here!)

As for the performances, well they are all very good here with Colin Baker providing another fine performance as the Sixth Doctor and he converys his usual traits of arrogance and ignorance but at the same also his innate goodness as well as a great sense of humour. Nicola Bryant also puts in a nice final performance as Peri, the Doctor's companion, who get's caught up in the events involving Sil and Yrcanos, who takes a shine to her.  Brian Blessed is hilarious in his role as the exceptionally LOUD war lord, Yrcanos, who rants and raves of war, blood and power but at the same time is essentially a gallant goody with just a slighlty overpowering voice!  

Nabil Shaban is also excellent as he reprises his role as Sil, the slimey (literally) villainous Mentor, who is an arms dealer and is hoping to save the live of his boss, Kiv by having his mind transferred into another body. Christopher Ryan also does very well in his role as Kiv, Sil's boss, who is in need of a body transfer as his mind will ultimately kill his own body and the Doctor and Peri at different stages in the story become his likely replacements. Patrick Ryecart does very well also as the scientist, Crozier, who has something of a megalomaniacal streak in him as well as he intends to save Kiv by using Peri's body as a host for his mind. 

And lastly, Michael Jayston and Linda Bellingham reprise their roles very well as the Valeyard and the Inquisitor respectively, the two Time Lords that prosecute and oversee the Doctor's trial respecetively!  And Jayston's bickering with the Doctor provides some of the story's highlights and Bellingham acts as something of a head teacher as she tries to keep them in order!

DIRECTOR AND MUSIC

As for the director, Ron Jones does a very good job here with Mindwarp as he paces the story nicely and provides enough moments of action, drama and humour to keep things moving along.  Jones also directed five other stories for the show during the Peter Davison and Colin Baker eras that include Black Orchid and Frontios from the Davison era and this story and Vengeance on Varos from the CB era.

And lastly the music by Richard Hartley is also pretty good although I have to say I was confused as to who composed it at first as I really thought it was Dominic Glynn's score. Ah well but its still a good one.

SUM UP

So, to sum up, Mindwarp is a very enjoyable story from the Colin Baker and it nicely follows on from the Mysterious Planet although its a bit of a pity that things would take a slight downturn after this one.

TERROR OF THE VERVOIDS

Next is the four part story, Terror of the Vervoids, which sees the Doctor present his own case of defence to the Valeyard and the Inquisitor at his trial as he shows footage directly linked from the Matrix (which stores all the Time Lords mental conscious thoughts) of his own future as it details his actions on a spaceliner named Hyperon III. The Doctor having received a Mayday message in the TARDIS, lands on the spaceliner along with his companion, Mel (Bonnie Langford) are captured as soon as they step onboard by guards and taken to the Commodore Travers (Michael Craig) who the Doctor has met before.  The Doctor suggests that Travers send the Mayday call but he denies this, so the Doctor is determined to find out who sent it as he believes he was called on purpose.

However, another problem that is onboard the spaceliner has to do with a series of pods contained within a hydroponics centre section of the ship. Mel at one point is taken on a guide by one of the crew, Edwardes (Simon Slater) who is electrocuted when he tries to access the centre, he is electrocuted. And its not long before the pods hatch and its inhabitants, plant-like creatures called Vervoids, run amok on the ship and start killing the crew one by one and it is again up to the Doctor to stop them.

THOUGHTS

Although this isn't one of more liked stories within the original Doctor Who series, I still happen to like Terror of the Vervoids, as it is something of an enjoyable Who-dunnit (no pun intended) as there is a traitor in the story, who is behind the murders and the release of the Vervoids. The story however is still guilty of introducing one of the show's most irritating companions ever in Mel as played by Bonnie Langford as she is overly cheery, who likes to think she is real clever and also has an annoying scream!  The story nicely builds on the conspiratorial nature of things in the Doctor's trial as he believes the Matrix footage they are watching at his trial has been manipulated to show him in a bad light.  The Vervoids themselves are actually not too bad as villains and they are somewhat creepy even if the outfits are a bit cheesy looking. 

PERFORMANCES (Warning this section may contain spoilers but no notable scenes!)

As for the performances well they are all mostly pretty good here.

Colin Baker again provides another fine effort as the Sixth Doctor as he continues to battle against the Valeyard at his trial as the Doctor tries to provide evidence to support his case in his tendency to get involved with the affairs of other planets.  And he has some nice moments such as when the Doctor is onboard the spaceliner and he doesn't managed to get a word in edgeways for once as he is interrupted by Mel and one of the crew, Professor Lasky (Honor Blackman).

Bonnie Langford however doesn't fair quite so well and she really does provide a rather annoying performance as Mel although to be fair she still does have some not bad scenes here and there but her scene with the Doctor at the start of the story where she is forcing the Doctor to work is just cheesy and naff.       

As for the supporting cast, Michael Jayston and Lynda Bellingham are both on good form again as the Valeyard and Inquisitor respectively with the Valeyard going full out to find reason and ways to confirm the Doctor's guilt and he has a pretty big one by the end of this story. Honor Blackman provides a good performance in the story also as Professor Lasky, one of the scientist passengers onboard Hyperion III. Michael Craig also does very well in his role as Commodore Travers, the security chief onboard the ship and his role kind of reminds me of the security chief, Sanders, in the Peter Davison era story, Kinda, although not quite as military minded. And last of all is Malcolm Tierney as the scientist, Donald, who is part of Lasky's crew but he isn't all what he appears to be.

DIRECTOR AND MUSIC

As for the director, Chris Clough provides the directorial duties here and he does a pretty decent job with the story and it doesn't really lag too much at any given time. Clough also directed six serials in total for the show during the producer era of John Nathan-Turner for both Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy's eras.

Music wise, the score is actually pretty good and it sees the welcome return of Malcolm Clarke, who provides a very atmospheric score that is similar in sound to his score for the Davison era story, Earthshock.  So, any score that sounds like that one is very good in my book and well worth a listen.

FLAWS

As for flaws, yep Terror of the Veroids does have some, the who-dunnit aspect of the story get's a little obvious as things go on as the one character we'd suspect (I won't say who!) turns out to be the very one who is behind it all! And of course there is the issue of the Doctor presenting his evidence at the trial for the story as he says its event that are in his personal future. But, if the events are part of his personal future, how can he possibly know about them if it hasn't happened yet?!

The story also has some cringeworthy moments we could have done without, especially Mel's intro scene where we see her push the Doctor to workout on an exercise bike!  And this is especially daft and I think just thrown in because Bonnie Landford herself was a TV fitness instructor around that time!

SUM UP

So, while this story has its problems, Terror of the Vervoids is still an enjoyable one that acts as something of a who-dunnit and it has some enjoyable characters in the story although it has to be said that Mel, the Doctor's new companion isn't one of them!  But that aside, its still not a bad adventure or at least as bad as its been made out to be.

THE ULTIMATE FOE

And last of all is The Ultimate Foe, which is a two-part story that concludes the Trial of a Time Lord season and indeed the Colin Baker era of the show.

The story begins with the Doctor claiming that the Valeyard's evidence has been falsified and the Matrix has been tampered with. However at this point, his companion Mel and the mercenary, Sabbalon Glitz (Tony Selby) arrive in the courtroom and the Doctor's arch enemy, the Master (Anthony Ainley) suddenly appears on the video screen, claiming responsibility for what has been happening and that the Matrix can indeed be manipulated. The Master also further explains that the Valeyard is in fact a manifestation of the Doctor's darker side that had been created from his 12th incarnation and that the High Council offered the Valeyard, the Doctor's remaining regenerations in exchange for falsifying evidence. 

So, at this point the Valeyard flees from the courtroom and he goes into the Matrix itself, which is a virtual reality where all the normal laws of physics and reality do not apply.  So, the Doctor decides to go in after the Valeyard in an effort to stop him once and for all and to save his own life in the process....

THOUGHTS

Well, it has to be said that The Ultimate Foe is easily the weakest story in the Trial of a Time Lord season and its actually just as well it was only a two parter, as it is somewhat poorly paced and not particularly well scripted. And even though the script was originally written by Robert Holmes, rewrites where required when the script editor of the time, Eric Saward, resigned from the show and refused to let his script edit be used. So, this called for the writing team of Pip and Jane Baker to be brought in to finish the story, which would explain the rushed feel to it all.

PERFORMANCES (Warning: the odd spoiler might be here!)

As for the performances here, Colin Baker is on excellent form and despite the lacklustre story he is in, he still does have some very impressive moments, most notably in the scene near the start where the Master reveals the corruption in the Matrix and the Time Lord High Council and it leads the Doctor to go on a rant about how corrupt the Time Lords really are. Its a real highlight of the story and certainly one of Colin's best moments of his performance in the role but its a pity that he had to go on this one. 

Bonnie Langford however continues to grate here in her performance here as Mel although you can see her trying her best to tackle the more dramatic moments here in the courtroom scenes but it has to be said she is no great actress for sure. Regardless of all this though, Bonnie would carry on as the 7th Doctor's companion during the Sylvester McCoy era.

As for the other performances, Michael Jayston puts in a fine performance again in his final appearance as the Valeyard, where his true motivations are revealed and we discover exactly who he is. Its a very solid performance from Jaystont throughout the season but it is a bit of a pity that it does end on a disappointing note.

Tony Selby also reprises his role as Glitz very well, although you really do have to question as to why they needed to bring him back at all, other than perhaps he was considered to be one of the better characters from that season, so he deserved a shot at reappearing again.

Anthony Ainley puts in another good performance here as the Master and he clearly enjoys playing the part as he plays it with a fair bit of cheese and ham and he laps up the Master's lines. However his performance is somewhat limited to just appearing on a video screen, so his lack of physical presence is a bit of a disappointment.

And last of all is Lynda Bellingham who once again does a fine job in her role as the Inquisitor, who oversees the Doctor's trial and she appears to have been kept in the dark regarding alot of the corrupt goings on behind the scenes of the High Council of the Time Lords.

DIRECTOR AND MUSIC

Direction wise, Chris Clough takes up the helm again as the director and it has to be said he has been given a bit of a dud story to direct here, so even though its only two parts, it does feel a bit laggy and lacking pace. This of course could have come down to the rewrites for the story that were needed, which affected the story in itself.

Music wise, Dominic Glynn provides the score and its actually a pretty good one and one of the better aspects of the story itself as it is moody and atmospheric. Glynn also composed the new title theme for this show's season but it was never again used and instead the following theme version was composed by Keff McCulloch and was used for the remainder of the Sylvester McCoy era.

FLAWS (Warning: Spoilers are ahead here!)

As for flaws, well yep The Ultimate Foe has its share and it has to be said that they are mostly down to the script being not so well executed and as a result, the whole story has a rushed feel to it given that they had to bring in Pip and Jane Baker to do the rewrites after Eric Saward resigned as script editor. 

Another issue is to do with the whole idea of grasping how the High Council can give the Doctor his remaining regenerations to the Valeyard and just how can the Valeyard be made up from a future regeneration of the Doctor???? It just doesn't quite make sense as to how it all has come about not to mention that the Doctor's evidence shown in Terror of the Vervoids is all a bit higglety piggelty with being from his own personal future. If so, how can he really present it????! 

And last of all is to do with the half-assed happy ending for Peri, as she was apparently killed at the end of Mindwarp when Yrcanos rushes into the operation room not long after Peri has had Kiv's mind transplanted into her own. But at the end of this story, it has been rewritten with Peri being rescued by Yrcanos and the two of them fall in love and live happily ever after! Yep, that's all just a bit too pat isn't it?! And even Nicola Bryant herself said she was really disappointed with this ending and she had preferred it if they left as was at the end of Mindwarp.

Anyway that's it for the flaws.

SUM UP

So, in summing up, The Ultimate Foe is a letdown and a poor end to the Colin Baker era as it is a story that was re-written and as such it feels rushed and not very well put together. And its a pity that Colin Baker's era should end such on a low note and indeed a greater shame that his Doctor had been done such a disservice and was replaced in the role on the orders of BBC controller, Michael Grade, who said it would be the only forward for the show to remain on air.

But despite that The Trial of a Time Lord is quite an enjoyable season and I'd give it three out of five (or 7 out of 10) as overall it has alot going for it and its worth giving Colin Baker a second chance, if you didn't like his Doctor first time round, he's worth taking another look at.

OK, that's it for now and I will be back soon with my updated look at the role play action game, Dark Souls, which I have just completed, so I will be giving a more indepth look at my thoughts as to what I think of it.

So, till the next one, I'll say bye fer now!

The Fast and the Furious Revisited "I never narc'd on NOBODY!!"

Rrrrrright, so its been quite a while since I've done a review on here (well sort of, just under two weeks) and I figured its time I did one and this will be yet another revisitation and it will be on the original film of the Fast and Furious franchise, The Fast and the Furious.

So, after 17 years, how does this one fair? Well, let's take another look...

And yep, the usual warning is coming...

PLOT SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!!!

STORY

So the story is set in Los Angeles and it begins with the main character, Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) who is an undercover cop who is trying infiltrate the local street race scene by working at an aftermarket parts shop and making connections in the process.  This is in an effort to try and find a gang who are responsible for hi-jacking cargo from trucks.

While Brian visits a tobacco shop he flirts with a girl, Mia (Jordana Brewster) who works there and is the sister of a locally famed street racer, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel).  When the rest of Dom's team arrive, one of them, the hotheaded Vince (Matt Schulze) picks a fight with Brian over Mia, which Dom breaks up and he tells Brian to get out of there and not to come back.

Brian later however enters a street race with his car and he wagers pink slips for Dom's car, which Dom accepts.  During the race, Brian gains an advantage as he uses nitrous oxide to boost his car's speed, but Dom also uses it and goes on to beat Brian and win the race.  Soon after the race the LAPD arrive which forces everyone to flee from the scene, as Dom takes off in his car, he parks it in a parking garage and leaves on foot, however he is nearly caught by the police, but Brian shows up just in time to rescue him in his car.  Dom appreciates Brian's actions and begins to show him respect but he insists he still owes him his car for winning the race.

However while they are driving they unwittingly enter the territory of Dom's main rival, Johnny Tran (Rick Yune) who follows them and forces them to pull over.  After a brief exchange, Tran and his team leave Dom and Brian, but they soon return and blow up Brian's car, which forces Brian and Dom to walk back to Dom's.

On arriving at Dom's house, Dom invites Brian into his home, much to the chagrin of Vince, but this allows Brian to flirt a little more with Mia before she tells him he "definitely needs to take a shower!".  The following day Brian brings a wrecked Toyota Supra to Dom's workshop where he offers his skills as a driver and mechanic.  As Brian get's acquainted with Dom's crew, he becomes romantically involved with Mia, and we meet Dom's other team mates which include his girlfriend Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), Leon (Johnny Strong) and Jesse (Chad Lindberg).  Brian also thinks that Tran's team are the ones behind the hi-jacks of the trucks cargo and he puts it to his superior officer, Tanner (Ted Levine) as they raid Tran's home and hideout, but they find the parts that Tran has were legally bought.

After this Tanner tells Brian that it has to be Dom that is behind it all, even though Brian is reluctant to see it as he has developed a bond with Dom as well as dating Mia.  Brian then approaches Dom, frustrated at why he is keeping him in the dark about how he has acquired the auto parts and Dom invites Brian to a race event called Race Wars, and Dom says if he proves himself there then they will talk afterward.

On the day of the races, Jesse races Tran for pink slips and he loses to Tran, and in a panic Jesse flees. Tran then confronts Dom demanding that he go and fetch his car and he accuses him of narcing him to the police, which angers Dom, who beats Tran in a rage before he is pulled off by his team.  After this we find out that Dom and his team are the ones that are behind the truck hijackings and they decide to go on one more hijack to absolve Jesse's debt to Tran.

As Brian nearby sees Mia argue with Dom, he soon confronts Mia after Dom leaves with his team, and tells her he is a cop and that he needs her help to find Dom as the truckers will be more heavily guarded out on the roads.  And from here the film reaches it dramatic climax as Brian and Mia head out to try and find Dom before he could face his fate on the roads from the truckers....

THOUGHTS 

The Fast and the Furious to this day, is still a very entertaining and at times thrilling experience and I still think its also the best in the series as the sequels that followed were a bit hit and miss but here the mix of action, drama and fun is just about right.  The story of course it has to be said is a carbon copy of the action film, Point Break, in which the main character is an undercover FBI agent who infiltrates the surfing community to find the gang of surfers responsible for a series of bank robberies. And the only differences here being its racing gangs and its an LAPD officer who is undercover, and he also ends up unwittingly befriending the gang leader who is behind it all.

PERFORMANCES (Warning: this section may contain spoilers!)

Performance wise things are mostly good here as the cast are in good form.

Starting with Paul Walker, who's performance is admittedly a bit wooden here as the undercover cop, Brian O'Conner, who befriends the street racing hero, Dominic Torretto and becomes involved with Dom's sister Mia.  Walker nonetheless does provide the film with some good moments such as in his first scene where he tests out his car at full speed and it spins out of control, and he hits the steering wheel angrily yelling "Shit!!".

Walker also has some good moments with Vin Diesel such as in the scene where Brian turns up at the street race with his car and he says he will race Dom for slips and he says "If I lose, the winner takes my car clean and clear.  If I win, I take the cash and I take the respect!  To some people that's more important".  And after Brian loses the race to Dom he smiles and says "Dude, I almost had you!" and Dom mocks him "Had me??  You never had me.  You never even had your car!".

Then there is the scene where Brian and Dom after having built up a new race car for payment to Dom (after Brian lost his race against Dom near the start of the film) that they test it out and stop off for some food but Brian, frustrated with the pressure from his LAPD boss, tries to inadvertently get Dom to admit how he get's the money to pay for his car parts.

So, in the scene as they eat, Dom asks "So, what's wrong, Brian?" and Brian says "Nothing, man" but Dom carries on "Come on, something is obviously off" and Brian sighs and says "Look, I have my good days and bad days like everybody else". Dom then warns Brian "Brian, don't lose that cool of yours. Its your meal ticket". Brian then annoyed says "No, that's one thing about me you don't understand. I don't take handouts! I earn my way, every step! I need something extra on the side, like you!".

Dom however then asks Brian "What do you mean like me?" and Brian angrily says "I'm not stupid, all right? I know that there's no way you paid for all that shit you got under the hood-- " and Dom ushers him to lower his voice. So, Brian lowers his voice a little "There's no way you paid for what's under the hood of those cars...by doing tune-ups and selling groceries. Whatever it is you're in on, I want in on it, too!". Dom looks at him for a moment and takes out a piece of paper and hands it to Brian, who asks "What's this?" and Dom says "That's directions" and Brian says "To what?" and Dom tells him "To race wars. We'll see how you go. Then we'll talk".

Another good scene from Walker is during the race when he sees Jesse is about to race Tran with his dad's car, as Jesse says "Don't worry when I win me and my dad can roll together when he get's out of prison" and Brian says "And they'll throw him right back in prison after he kills you!".  And when he Brian sees that Jesse is about to race Tran, he warns him "Jesse, don't do it! He's gotta have at least 100 grand underneath the hood of that car!".

And then later there is the scene where Brian admits to Mia that he is an undercover cop and he tells her "Right now this isn't about you and me, and if you don't want anything to happen to Dom, to Letty, to Leon, to Vince, you need to tell me where they are right now!  Maybe they might make through the night, but those truckers aren't layin down anymore!".

Sadly after having appeared in seven of the eight films in the series, Paul Walker, later tragically died in a car accident in November 2013.

Vin Diesel is very good in his role as Dominic Toretto, the charismatic street racer, who is at times not all that he seems to be.

Diesel has various highlights in the film such as in his first scene where Brian get's involved in a fist fight with Vince outside his store.  And in the scene Mia yells at Dom to get out there and stop the fight and he says to her "What did you put in that sandwich??" as he refers to a tuna sandwich Mia made up for Brian.  And as Dom stops the fight he holds back Vince and says to him "RELAX!  DON'T PUSH IT!! YOU EMBARASS ME!!" and takes a look at Brian's fake ID and he says "Brian Earl Spilner, that sounds like a serial killer name!  Don't come round here again!". Dom then asks Brian if he is working for a parts dealer named Harry "You work for Harry right?" and Brian says "Yeah, just started" and Dom tells him "You were just fired!".   

Diesel also has his fair share of good lines in the film as well, such as in the scene where Dom mocks Brian just after Brian lost their race.  And Dom looks at Brian, who smiles and he says "What are you smiling about?" and Brian grins and says "Dude, I almost had you!". Dom laughs and says "You almost had me??? You never had me, you never had your own car!  Granny shiftin not double clutchin like you should.  Ask any racer, any real racer.  It don't matter if you win by an inch or a mile.  Winning's winning!".

Also another good line is when he invites Brian back to his home, which when they arrive, Dom's team mate, Vince objects and asks why he brought "the buster" i.e. Brian back and Dom yells back "Because the BUSTER kept me out of handcuffs!  He didn't just run back to the fort, the buster brought ME back!". Then Dom looks at Vince's beer and asks "Is this your beer?" and Vince says "Sure, its my beer" and Dom takes it off him and gives it to Brian and he says "You can have any beer you want in the house as long as its Corona!" as Corona beer is all they have!

Another good scene from Vin comes in a quieter moment of reflection when Dom shows Brian his father's car, and he remembers how his father, who was a great street racer, was killed in a car race and also the regret he felt about beating one of the fellow racers involved in the race with a wrench sometime later out of rage.  And after he turns to Brian and says "I live my life a quarter mile at a time.  Nothing else matters, not the mortgage, not the store, not my team and all their bullshit.  For those ten seconds or less, I'm free."

And later when Johnny Tran confronts Dom over Jesse fleeing in the car race Jesse just lost to Tran. So in the scene Tran angrily asks Dom where Jesse went "Where's he going?" and Dom sarcastically says "He went to the car wash". Tran not amused, angrily says "Go fetch my car!" and Dom a little taken aback says to Tran "Go fetch my car??? We're not on your block anymore. You better watch who you talk to like that".  And as Dom turns back on Tran, Tran shouts "TORETTO! SWAT came to my house! Disrespected my whole family and its all because someone narc'd me out!  And you know what?!  It was you!!".  This then enages Dom, who gives Tran a real beating and he is pulled back by his team and Dom shouts to Tran "I never narc'd on nobody!  I never narc'd on NOBODY!!".

And last of all is the scene where (SPOILER!!!) Brian confronts Dom back at his house just after Brian helped rescue Dom and his team from being killed on the highway by truckers as they attempted their final hijack.

So, in the scene, Brian pulls up and get's out his car and points his gun at Dom, who is holding a pump action shotgun. Brian then warns Dom "Dom, put the gun down!" and Dom says to him "Move your car!" and Brian shouts "Put it down! No more running!" and Dom shouts back "I'M NOT RUNNING!!". Brian then asks Dom where Letty and Leon are and Dom tells him they are long gone, so Brian shouts at him "Then its over! I didn't call the police but don't push me!!". So, Dom shouts back "YOU'RE THE COP!!! YOU'RE A COP!!!" and Dom calms down a little and pleads with him "Brian, I gotta find Jesse before they do. I'm all the kid's got!".

And as Dom and Brian continue to argue, Jesse suddenly turns up in a state of panic, he says to Dom "I am so sorry, man!" and Dom drops his shotgun and he says to Jesse "Jesse, what were you thinking, man?!". Jesse then shouts back almost in tears "I don't know! I panicked! I'm sorry!" and all of a sudden Tran and Lance show up on their bikes and open fire on Dom, Jesse and Brian, who dive for cover and Jesse appears to be fatally wounded, so Dom, cradles him just as Brian decides to chase after Tran and later Dom does the same.  

Jordana Brewster is really good as Dom's sister, Mia, who becomes involved with Brian.  Jordana has some good scenes as well, and her first scene in the film introduces her sassy character very well where Brian arrives at the tobacco store where she works and he asks how the tuna is.  And Mia replies "Every day for the last three weeks, you've been coming in here asking how the tuna is.  Now it was crappy yesterday, it was crappy the day before, and guess what?  It hasn't changed".  Brian the smiles and says "I'll have the tuna then" and Mia smiles and asks "No crust?" and Brian says "No crust". 

This is then followed by the scene where Brian and Vince fight each other and Mia insists that Dom get out there and stop the fight. So, Mia shouts to Dom " Jesus Christ, Dom! Would you get out here please? I'm sick of this shit!" but Dom ignores her, so she shouts at him "I'm not kidding, Dom! Get out here!!!". Dom finally get's up and looks over at the fight going on and he asks Mia "What did you put on that sandwich?" and Mia, annoyed says "That's REALLY funny!".
 
Another good scene from Jordanna is when Mia and Brian while at a party in Dom's house flirt a little with each other. funny yet cruel moment in the film where Mia flirts with Brian and Vince enters the room, drunk, he tries to make popcorn and he insults Brian. So, Mia asks Vince "What was that Cuban restaurant you wanted to take me to? The one with the food all over the place?" and Vince smiles and says "Cha cha cha" and Mia turns to Brian and says "Well you can take me there. Friday night at 10:00. Is that good for you?" and Brian says "Yeah, that's perfect" and this leaves Vince, furious, and he storms out.

Michelle Rodriguez is also good as Dom's girlfriend Letty, who is pretty fiesty and not to be messed with.  And this is well noted in the scene of the car street race at night where we see Dom chat to some of the girls there. So, Letty walks up to them and says to them sternly "I smell... skanks!  Why don't you girls pack it up before I leave tread marks on your face!".

Another good scene from Michelle is when at the race wars out in the desert, Letty is challenged by a male racer, who makes advances on her at the same time. So, the racer says to her "Baby. Hey, baby. You should watch from the side. I wouldn't want to get exhaust on that pretty face".  Letty then says to him "Why don't you put your money where your mouth is??" and the racer says "I'll race you for that sweet little ass of yours" but Letty tells him bluntly "You want ass, why don't you hit Hollywood Boulevard? You want an adrenaline rush it will be two large". So, Letty holds up two rolls of money in between her middle finger, so the driver goes for the deal and as they get ready to race, he blows her a kiss and Letty rolls her eyes. However its soon apparent as the race starts, the racer is no match for Letty, who says "See ya!" and hits her NOS switch and her car zooms past his. 

As for the supporting cast, Ted Levine is excellent in his role as Sergeant Tanner, Brian's supervisor in the undercover operation and his scenes with Walker work really well in the film and offer a nice change in the dynamic of the story.  Levine has some good moments in the film such as where he tries to convince Brian that Dom may be responsible for the hijacks but Brian thinks Dom is too controlled for that, and Tanner then shows him some photos of a man Dom brutally assaulted with a wrench and he says "Oh yeah, Toretto's a real model of self control".

Rick Yune is also good in his role as Dom's arch rival, Johnny Tran, and he has some good moments such as the scene where we first meet Tran, who stops Brian and Dom as they are driving in his block within Chinatown. So, as Tran and his cousin, Lance (Reggie Lee) who were both driving on motorbikes and armed with silenced uzis, check out Brian's souped up NOS race car, he warns Dom of their position of him being on his block.

So, Tran tells Dom "I thought we had an agreement. You stay away. I stay away. Everybody stays happy" and Dom says "We got lost". And after Dom introduces Brian to Tran and Lance, Tran asks Brian "Is this your car?" and Brian says "It was, its his now" but Dom says "No it's not. I haven't taken delivery yet". So, Tran grins and says "This is nobody's car but somebody put in the wrench time and he asks Lance "What do you think, Lance?" and Lance looks at the car and says "Its an amazing machine" and Tran says "Yes, it is" and he says to Lance and his gang "Let's go". Tran get's back on his bike and says to Dom "I'll see you in the desert next month. Prepare to have your ass handed to you". Dom teases him and says "You'll need more than that crotch rocket" and Tran says "I got something for you!" and he drives off.

Then there is the scene where Tran brutally questions a man named Ted for the whereabouts of his car's engines.  So, Tran says to a very nervous Ted "Let me ask you a question, Ted. Do you see anything wrong here?" and Ted looks at the cars in the warehouse and he says "No" but then Tran grabs Ted and thrusts his head down the open bonnet of the car where there is no engine and shouts "WE GOT NO ENGINES, DO WE??!!!".  So, Tran grabs Ted and get's him ont he ground and starts to pump oil all over Ted's face until he admits where the engines are, so afterward, Tran says to Ted "Kiss my shoes" and Ted, who is drenched in oil, moves over to do so but Tran simply kicks him in the stomach and he says to Lance "Let's go get our engines!".  

And later, Yune has another good scene where he confronts Dom about the SWAT raid on his house, and he says "TORETTO!  SWAT came into my house and disrespected my whole family because someone narc'd me out!  And you know what?!  It was you!!".  And lastly Chad Lindberg is also good in his role as Dom's team mate, Jesse, who is a real car geek, who has great automotive knowledge but also suffers from ADD and he later makes the mistake of racing Tran for pink slips.  Lindberg's best moment comes in the film when Jesse says grace before Dom and his team eat their meal and he says "Spirit.  Thank you for providing us with direct-port nitrous, uh injection, four-core intercoolers, and ball-bearing turbos, and um... titanium valve springs.  Thank you!".

Chad Lindberg is also pretty good in his role as Jesse, who is part of Dom's racing crew and he is a brilliant mechanic but also suffers from ADD and he later on get's himself into water with Tran and his gang.

And I will quickly mention, two of Chad's scene first off is the one where Jesse sits down for dinner with Dom and the others and he impatiently grabs a bit of chicken but is told off for it. So, Dom says to Jesse "Jesse, since you were the first to reach in and grab some chicken, why don't you say grace?". So, Jesse says "Spirit. Thank you. Thank you for providing us with the direct-port nitrous... uh... injection, four-core intercoolers, an' ball-bearing turbos, and... um... titanium valve springs. Thank you".

And lastly there is the scene where Jesse shows the designs he has on his computer for Brian's new race car. So, Brian impressed with Jesse's skills says "You should be going to MIT or something.." and Jesse says "Yeah right! No, I've got that...what's it called? Attention disorder..." and Brian asks "ADD?" and Jesse says "Yes, that's shit! You know, I was good in algebra and like math and shit. Everything else I failed. Dropped out of school. I don't know. It's just something about engines...that calms me down, you know". 

And last of all is Matt Schulze as Vince, one of Dom's team, who is hotheaded and has a real dislike for Brian as he senses he isn't all he appears to be but is also jealous of Mia's affections for Brian, as the two of them appeared to have previously dated.

As for Matt's good scenes there is his first one where Vince fights with Brian outside the drive-in as Brian finishes his tuna sandwich and Vince glares at him. So, as Brian leaves, Vince get's and shouts at him "Why don't you try Fat Burger from now on? You can get yourself a cheese and fries for 2.95, faggot!". Brian then says without turning around "I like the tuna here!" but Vince angrily says back "Bullshit, asshole! No one likes the tuna here!" and the two of them start fighting, which is later broken up by Dom.

Then there is the scene where Brian rescues Dom from being arrested and they make their way back to Dom's place where he is holding a party (in his absence it appears!). So, Vince looks annoyed when he says Brian has turned up aswell and he later says to Dom "He's got no call being up in here. You don't know that fool for shit!". Dom however says to Vince "There was a time I didn't know YOU!" and Vince shouts back "That was in the third grade!". 

And last of all is the scene where in another party, a drunken Vince goes into the kitchen to use the microwave to make popcorn and he notices Mia and Brian talk, so he grins and says to Brian "Wash my car when you get done!" and Mia asks "What was that?" and Vince says to her "No, Mia. I'm talking to the punk! Wear your favorite dress, 'cause when you're done...I'm putting you on the street where you belong, cutie!". So, Mia then asks Vince what was the name of a Cuban restuarant he once wanted to take her to and all of a sudden, he beams and says "Cha Cha Cha!" but then Mia turns to Brian and says "Well, you can take me there? Friday night at 10:00. Is that good for you?". This then leaves Vince furious and he drunkenly storms out and says to the others "Make your own goddamn popcorn!". 

DIRECTOR AND MUSIC

Getting onto the director guy here, Rob Cohen does a fine job with directing the film as he keeps the pacing of the film nice and tight throughout and he stages the car racing scenes really well.  Cohen also makes a nice use of a visual effect that shows the difference between daytime and night time as during the film in certain points we see the skyline change from day to night for specific scenes, such as when we cut from day time to the night of the first street race early on in the film.

Cohen also makes a rather brief and corny appearance in the film as a pizza delivery driver and is called a pizza boy by one of the street racer gang, who is monitoring the streets for police activity but Cohen is no boy as he was in his 50's by then! 

As for music score, its also worthy of note which was composed by BT (no not British Telecom!) or his to use his actual name, Brian Transeau, an American composer who provides a cool, atmospheric soundtrack for the film which is both electronic and at times orchestral. BT also uses tracks from different artists such as rock and metal arists such as Limp Bizkit, Hoobastank and Dope, which while not all of them are great they are used pretty well in the film.

FLAWS (Warning: this section may also contain spoilers!)

So, moving onto the flaws section, does TFATF have any worth mentioning??? Well yes.... 

And to start off it has to be said that the film's plot is hardly original as it is as I mentioned a carbon copy of Point Break's plot right down to the very end (well just about as its not quite the same). Yeah basically we have a low enforcer infiltrate a criminal gang of sorts and he get's sucked into their world, which makes him have a difficult time making objective choices as far his job is concerned. 

And then there are some pretty cheesy scenes in the film and it has one or two cringing moments such as the scene where Dom and Letty are getting it on in Dom's garage, while she takes off his vest and swings it about and he grabs her ass and buries his face in her chest! Yep, more cringeworthy than sexy for sure!

And there is also the scene near the end where Dom and Brian race one another, and Dom get's into his dad's car and as he drives off and after he helps deal with Tran and his right hand man, Lance, the two of them get ready to go at the traffic lights, and when they turn green, Dom revs the car as the front of it rises up as he speeds off!  Its just a moment where you want to bury your head in the sofa (of if you could bury it in Michelle's chest that would be better!). 

I also felt that the hijacking sequences are far less interesting than the rest of the action in the film and that it actually has less of an impact on the story than Point Break's bank robbery plotline did. Although one way in which the film does score over Point Break is the identity of the hijackers isn't really established until later on, as Dom's team don't use their voices, but in Point Break we know Patrick Swayze is behind it right from the get go.

Sooooo despite that, The Fast and the Furious is still a very enjoyable action film and for me its still the best out of the eight films in the franchise, although the following films were also quite enjoyable to mixed degrees. But in the original here, we get a good mix of the thrills, drama, suspense and a bit of ham and cheese thrown in too! Also the cast are in good form and the film's direction by Rob Cohen is pretty solid and the film is also notable for its wonderfully colourful cinemaphotography, Ericson Core and a good atmospheric score by BT (again NOT British Telecom!).  

And if you can forgive this film's more corny, silly moments, then there is certainly alot to enjoy here and the original Fast and Furious film is certainly still the best.

OK, so that's it for now I will be sometime soon with another post of some sort or other.

Till then, its bye fer now!