Rocky IV Director's Cut Rocky vs Drago - Review

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, figured I would try and get another post in before the end of the month and this one will be on the director's cut of Rocky IV, which I watched recently. 

Now Rocky IV has always been one of the cheesiest entries in the series with its cringe inducing dialogue and the inclusion of a robot (as a gift to Paulie!) but this director's cut promises to change all that but does it? Well let's find out!

And the usual warning is coming...

PLOT SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!!!

STORY 

So, the film starts off where Rocky III left, only with a lengthier reprise of the ending with Rocky defeating Clubber Lang (Mr T) and afterward he has a private bout with Apollo (Carl Weathers) who wants to prove that he can still beat Rocky (the result of which is left undetermined, but Rocky has a black eye!).  

After this the story moves to 1985 where Rocky is still the reigning world champion, but a new challenger comes to town in the form of the giant Russian boxer, Ivan Drago (Dolph Lungren).  Drago is accompanied by his wife Ludmilla (Brigitte Nielsen) along with his team and manager Nicolai Koloff (Michael Pataki) and in front of the press during a training session, Drago shows his formidable strength and punching power.  

Apollo takes notice of Drago and in an effort to prove himself he decides to take the big Russian on in an exhibition match, convinced that he can beat him, Apollo persuades Rocky to train him.  At a press conference things quickly turn hostile between the Apollo and Drago's camps as Apollo ridicules Drago and the big guy pushes Apollo back and leaves Drago coldly incensed by Apollo's actions.

On the night of the match, which takes place at the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas, Apollo makes a spectacular entrance, wearing his old Uncle Sam boxing outfit, and with James Brown singing "Livin in America" in the background.  The bout begins with Apollo tamely landing a few punches on Drago, but things soon take a turn for the worse as Drago starts to beat Apollo relentlessly until he can barely stand.  At the sit down, Rocky pleads with Apollo to stop the fight, but Apollo refuses and insists that Rocky keep the fight going no matter what happens.  

In the second round despite some minor resistance from Apollo, Drago continues to brutally beat Apollo and Duke (Tony Burton) Apollo's former manager pleads with Rocky to throw the towel but Apollo says no just before Drago lands one last fatal blow which puts Apollo down permanently, as Rocky enters the ring, Apollo dies in his arms.  After the match Drago is interviewed and shows no remorse whatsoever over his actions and says regarding Apollo "If he dies... he dies".

Rocky as a result of Apollo's death decides to relinquish his title belt (which he places in Apollo's coffin) and he agrees to an unsanctioned 15 round fight against Drago in the Soviet union to take place on Christmas day.  Adrian (Talia Shire) Rocky's wife, expresses her fears to Rocky about how he too could get killed if he fights Drago and she thinks he can't win, regardless however Rocky goes to Russia along with his trainer Duke and his brother-in law Paulie (Burt Young).  

In Russia, Rocky is given a log cabin as his training base where he starts to train traditionally (without any sparring partners either which is mentioned in a new included scene) and in stark contrast Drago trains using very high tech equipment where he has a team of trainers and doctor monitoring his every moment.  Adrian soon decides to join Rocky in Russia as well to give him her full support, which motivates Rocky even further.  

Come the night of the bout, Rocky enters the arena where he Russian audience boo him and as Drago arrives, a huge patriotic display is put on for the Russian fighter, and from here both men get down to business as they lock horns in an intense battle of west vs east...

THOUGHTS 

Rocky IV's director cut, it has to be said in quite a few ways is an improvement over the original and it sees quite a fair amount of the cheese that peppered the original removed such as the inclusion of Paulie's robot (who he reprograms to have a sexy female voice!) as well as Brigette Nielsen's dialogue  almost entirely removed also. We also see the inclusion of some new scenes and unused takes that didn't appear in the original for various scenes and even some extended footage for both Apollo and Rocky's fights with Drago. 

And with Stallone at the directorial helm again as well as on the writing duties, he uses the cold war theme between the American and Russians and the film itself even had some criticism levelled at it as a propaganda piece.  And this is certainly mirrored in Apollo's death at the hands of the ice cold Drago where the Russians draw first blood in their contest with the Americans and both sides also display fierce patriotism during both bouts. However in all fairness, the director's cut actually succeeds in making Drago a slightly more sympathetic antagonist (if you like) than in the original as there is even a moment near the end of Rocky's speech he refers to Apollo and Drago clearly looks a bit remorseful when he does.

The film was also noted for during its production where Stallone and Lundgren actually engaged in an authentic contest in early sections of their fight scene, which lead to Stallone sustaining a serious injury to his heart after a direct blow from Lundgren, and Stallone was forced to leave the production and spent eight days in intensive care.  Stallone also later stated that Carl Weathers nearly quit the film's production as a result of Lundgren's overly aggressive approach during the filming of Apollo and Drago's exhibition fight, and it took Stallone to resolve the dispute and convince Weathers to come back to the film.  So even the film's production wasn't short on drama either!

PERFORMANCES 

As for the performances well things are mostly good, but they are a bit of a mixed bag as well. 

Starting with Sylvester Stallone, who still manages to provide a pretty good performance as Rocky (although he mumbles as usual throughout!) who suffers the loss of his good friend Apollo and has to face the might of the formidable Drago.  

Stallone also portrays Rocky as being more resilient this time round after Apollo's death he actually maintains his focus while training for the fight even despite Adrian's refusal to support him, although she eventually reunites with him and does.  

As for Stallone he has some good scenes which include the one he has with Apollo as the two of watch a video of their second fight together and Rocky asks him about why he wants to fight Drago. So, Rocky says to Apollo "Can I asking you something?" and Apollo engrossed in the video asks "What?" and Rocky "This fight with the Russian, do you thin it ain't against him? Maybe like its you against you? What do you think?" and Apollo suddenly gets up and says "I don't think I wanna hear this, Stallion!". Rocky then says "Look, Apollo you're a great fighter, no doubt about that. You don't want believe it, but maybe the show is over". Apollo says "That's easy for you to say, you're still on top!" and Rocky tells him "Look at that, you don't want to believe this but that ain't us up there anymore, Apollo. We can't do that the way we did it before. We're changing". 

Then there is the scene where Rocky feels emotional at Creed's funeral where he breaks down crying as he speaks at Creed's coffin. And Rocky says "I have everything I've got and I owe everything I've got to you. You gave me a break that no one else would. You believed in me when no one else would! I really loved you man" and places his champion belt on a bed of flowers. 

And then there is the scene where Rocky and Adrian argue about his agreeing to fight Drago and he says "I am fighter.  I can't change what I am.  We can't change anything we just have to go with what we are".  And after Adrian yells at him that he can't possibly win the fight, Rocky says "You're right maybe I can't win.  Maybe the only thing I can do is take everything he's got.  But to beat me, he's going to have to kill me.  And to kill me, he's gonna have to have the heart to stand in front of me.  And to do that he's got to be willing to die himself." However in the director's cut, this scene was changed up quite a bit as the dialogue quoted from Rocky is removed and included in the scene where we see Rocky hang up some newspaper cuttings when he is in his training cabin, which I thought was a weird decision.

And his last scene where he addresses the Russian crowd he delivers his memorable, albeit corny speech where he dishes out words of wisdom to the newly converted Russian Rocky fan audience "Thank you. I came here tonight and I didn't know what to expect. I had seen a lot of people hating me, so I guess I didn't like you much either. During this fight, I had seen a lot of changing about the way you felt about me and the way I felt about you. In this fight there were two guys killing each other, but I guess that's better than killing 20 million!" and then he finishes by saying "What I'm trying to say is that if I can change, then you can change... everybody can change!". Again however they changed this to make a bit less cringe worthy as his delivery of the line "Everybody can change" is less loud and he calmly says "Thank you" at the end instead, which does mute the effectiveness of the scene a little bit.

Talia Shire is really good once again as Rocky's loving wife Adrian, although this time her character was curiously sidelined and is left largely in the background while Rocky does his exhibition stuff with Apollo or trains for the fight against Drago until she joins up with him later on.  

Talia's best scene is when she argues with Rocky over his decision to fight Dragon and she says "Before there were reasons but I don't understand this. Even if you win, Apollo is still gone. What do you hope to achieve? Why can't you change your thinking? Everybody else does!" and Rocky tells her "Beacuse I'm a fighter! That's the way I'm made, Adrian! That's what you married!" but Adrian tells him "Its suicide!  You've seen him, you know how strong he is.  You can't win!!".

And last of all is the spectacularly selfish scene from both Rocky and Adrian (more from Adrian!) where Adrian turns in Russia having left her son behind on his own (yep!) to be with and support Rocky. So, in the scene Adrian tells Rocky "I'm with you no matter what" and Rocky asks her "No matter what?" and she says "No matter what" and they hug.

Burt Young is great once again as Paulie, Rocky's best friend although his part in the director's cut is reduced somewhat as the robot has been cut out of the film, we lose much of the comic relief he brought to the film but he still has one or two funny lines. 

And Burt does get some of the film's funniest moments such as during the press conference where he insults Drago's manager. And as Drago's manager, Koloff berates the Americans, Paulie says to him "Hey! At least we don't have people kept behind walls with machine guns!" and Koloff asks "Who are you?" and Paulie says "Who am I? I'm the un-silent majority, big mouth!".  

And when Paulie arrives in Russia in the snow laden tundras he looks around and says "|This place ain't look so tough, Rocky" but Rocky notices Paulie is wearing ear muffs and he says "Hey Paulie how come you're wearing Adrian's earmuffs?" and Paulie says "They look better on me!". But then he complains "No sparring, no TV, no nothing?! How the heck are you supposed to train here?!" and he ends up falling into the deep snow and he gets up and says "This is a good place to die!".  

And last of all is the scene just prior to the fight, Burt get's another couple of good lines where he first says to Rocky "I just wanna say if I ever wanted to unzip myself from my own skin and be someone else, I'd be you.  You're all heart, Rock!" and he kisses Rocky on the cheek and Rocky smiles and says "Thanks Paulie". And Paulie then in usual mode says "Now blast this guys teeth out!" and Rocky says "I'll try". However later after Paulie sees Drago up close in the ring he says to Rocky "You remember what I said about wanting to being you?  Forget it!".

Tony Burton also provides a good turn as Rocky's trainer and Apollo's former trainer who trains Rocky in Russia.  Burton also shares a good scene with Stallone where Duke talks to Rocky when they are in Russia, prior to starting Rocky's training he tells him "You know when Apollo died, part of me died. He was like my son, I raised him. But now you're the one, that's going to go on and keep his spirit alive. You're gonna have to go through hell.  Worse than any nightmare you've ever dreamed.  But when its over, I know you will be the one who is still standing". And after they both share a hug, Duke tells Rocky "Now you know what have to do, now do it. Do it". 

Then there is the scene later during the fight where after Rocky stuns Drago by delivering a powerful blow that cuts above his right eye and Duke fires Rocky up. So, Duke shouts at Rocky "You see cut him! You hurt him! You, see he's not a machine! He's a man! Now take it to him!"  

Carl Weathers also provides another fine performance in his last appearance as Apollo Creed in the Rocky series, as Apollo eventually meets his fate when he faces the towering Drago in a "friendly" exhibition bout which ends very badly.  

And Weathers again plays the part to perfection and displays Apollo's charisma, charm, confidence and arrogance.  

And Weathers has some great moments in the film that include the scene where he speaks with Rocky and Adrian about taking on Drago and later Rocky alone. So, Apollo says to Rocky and Adrian "I watched video of Drago from years ago, he's big and strong but he's clumsy. I know I can beat him" and Adrian asks "Why?" and Apollo tells her "Let's  just say, its something I believe in". 

And later as Apollo and Rocky watch a film of their second fight together, Rocky asks Apollo "This fight against the Russian, isn't it you against you?" and Apollo says "I don't think I wanna hear this, Stallion". Rocky then says "Look, Apollo you're a great fighter no doubt that but we can't do that like we did before. We're changing" and Apollo says "I don't wanna change! I like who I am!". And Apollo then tells Rocky "You see you and me were born with this killer instinct you can't just turn off like some radio. And all this stuff around, man doesn't mean a thing! And without some war to fight, the warrior might as well be dead, Stallion!" and he softly says "So, I'm asking you, as a friend, stand in my corner this one last time". 

Then there is the press conference scene with Drago, where Drago is asked a question but he doesn't respond, and Apollo says "The man's tongue didn't come through customs!".  And in the scene Weathers also shows Apollo's rampant ego and how he still thinks he is the greatest despite having boxed in five years as he says "Well I've been with the best and I've beaten the best!  I've retired more men than social security!". And Koloff asks Apollo "You're not being very realistic are you, Mr Creed? You can box yes, but you are far too old if you think you can win over Drago" and Apollo asks "Oh, is that a fact?!" and Koloff says "Yes and it could be a painful one!" and Apollo angrily says "You put that heavy bag with eveballs in the ring with me and I'll show you the meaning of pain!". And as the place erupts and Drago pushes back Apollo, Apollo shouts "Alright! I've said what I feel! We'll finish this in the ring!". 

And Weathers also has a really good moment when it probably finally dawns on Apollo that he might be totally screwed when he get's in the ring with Drago and just before the fight begins he taunts him by saying "Come on its time to go to school, son.  Come on did you hear what I said?!  Do you need and interpreter?! Put your hands up, its time to go to school!" and Drago puts his gloves up and Apollo's gloves contact with them and he sees how rock solid physically Drago is, who coldly says "You will lose".

Dolph Lundgren is also very good in his role as the mighty, merciless and not very talkative Ivan Drago who provides Rocky's sternest test in his career so far, as well as proving to be Apollo's literal nemesis. Lundgren's incredible physique was well noted by Stallone, who felt that Lundgren could even have become a professional heavyweight boxer himself.  

Lundgren's main highlights in the film are his two fight scenes with Apollo and Rocky, with the latter being one of the best fight scenes in the series, as it is a really intense and fairly even contest.  Lundgren doesn't have much dialogue in the film, which is probably just as well as his delivery is so robotic, but what little he has does have still manages to make an impression, especially in the scene after he has just clubbed Apollo to death in the ring and he says "I defeat all men.  I cannot be defeated. Pretty soon I will defeat a real champion!" and when he is asked about Apollo's critical condition he says without a hint of remorse "If he dies... he dies".  

Also later on in the ring just before Rocky's bout with Drago is about to start, he says to Rocky "I must break you!".  And surprisingly near the end of the fight, you actually gain some sympathy for Drago as the crowd turn against him and his manager angrily tells him he is a disgrace and he has to win, which leads to Drago picking him up by the throat, although he let's him go, but at this point you feel the Russians are just using him as a pawn in their game against the Americans.  And he shouts to the crowd in Russian "I win for me! For ME!!".

Brigiette Nielsen on the other hand however proves to be the real weak link in the chain of the cast, as her potrayal of Drago's wife, Ludmilla. However, in the director's cut, her part has been great reduced and most of her dialogue has been cut out, so most of the cheesy lines we heard her say in the original are no longer in the director's cut, which is both a blessing and also a bit of a disappointment because Stallone appeared to overdo it here with scaling back Nielsen's performance.

And finally Michael Pataki is very good as Drago's manager, Nikolai Koloff even though he too is given his fair share of corny dialogue, which serves to heighten the tension and propaganda of the film.  

And Pataki has some good scenes that include the one where during a demonstration of Drago's incredible punching power he tells the press about what the special equipment that Drago is wired up does. So, he tells the press "It makes a man, a superman, it makes an athele a super athlete by harnessing all his strength". And when the press ask for a demonstartion, Drago delivers a brutal punch on the test machine and Koloff says "So, you see Drago here hits 1850 pounds per square inch. So, the results are obvious" and a press man asks "And what results are those?" and Koloff says "Whatever he hits, he destroys" just before we see Drago deliver another ferocious demonstration blow. 

This is then followed by the scene at the Apollo, Drago press conference where Apollo brags about his ability and confidence to beat Drago and Koloff questions him over it. So, Koloff says to him "You are not being very realistic are you, Mr Creed?" and Apollo asks "Now who is this?" and Koloff tells him "You can box, yes but you are far too old to think you can win over Drago" and Apollo asks "Is that a fact?!" and Koloff tells him "Yes and it could be a painful one!". And Koloff says "I say to the press in all fairness that Drago should not even fight this man because he is a has-been!".

Then there is scene at Rocky and Drago's press conference where things get heated again as Koloff gets riled up by Paulie. And Koloff says "Yes, that's right! Insult us! It is more typical insulting behaviour towards foreigners. Perhaps the defeat of this so called little champion will be an example of how PATHETIC and weak your society has become! We go!" and he storms out. 

And last of all is the scene just before the final round of Rocky and Drago's match where a furious Koloff runs up to Drago as he angrily berates him for the crowd chanting for Rocky. So, Koloff says to Drago in Russian "You idiot! Our people cheer for him!" and he angrily pushes Drago's face and shouts "WIN!" but Drago angrily stands up and grabs a stunned Koloff by the throat lifting him off his feet only for Ludmilla to shout "Niet!" and then let's him go.

DIRECTION AND MUSIC 

Direction wise Sylvester Stallone once again does a fine job here and with the director's he does a fine job in trimming out some of the more cheesy moments of the film although the lengthy intro of moments from Rocky III is a bit puzzling instead of the reprise of just the Clubber fight. Stallone also in the film produces some great moments such as the montage of Rocky training which really pulls you into the action of his preparations for the fight.  And Stallone's direction of the fight itself is terrific and the fight is for me the best out of all six of Rocky's films, as the bout is both tense and exciting to watch.

As for the music score, well this time Bill Conti is missing (as he was occupied with scoring the Karate Kid films at that time) and Vince DiCola took over the duties of writing the music, and his score is not too bad, although it pretty synth heavy and does sound rather dated.  The film also has some other tracks by contemporary artists of the time such as Survivor, Kenny Loggins,  Robert Tepper and Go West, and most notably John Cafferty who contributes the song "Hearts on Fire" used during Rocky's training montage. However for the director's cut, Stallone did use some of Bill Conti's musical cues from previous Rocky films in certain scenes and he reuses "The Eye of the Tiger" again at the end of the film that appeared in Rocky III.

FLAWS

So, as for flaws, does the director's cut have any of note? Well yes it does. 

To start with it has to be said that while it is an entertaining film, it is also a very corny and at times cringe worthy one as well, particularly in scenes such as Apollo's overtly patriotic entrance to his exhibition bout against Drago as James Brown sings "Living in America". However that is probably about as corny as the director's cut allows itself to actually get thanks to Stallone getting rid of the ridiculous robot from the original cut.

Drago also has an equally cringing entrance to his bout with Rocky in Russia, as presumably the country's anthem plays in the background and a large potrait on a curtain of Drago is unveiled with Drago standing in the ring looking on without a hint of pride or any kind of emotion for that matter!  And once again here Stallone lays on the patriotism way too thick so much so the whole thing at this point just feels like total overkill and would be almost fair to say the film is on the verge of being xenophobic.

The film is also guilty of being a bit like a music video at times, especially with the montage of scenes where Rocky takes a long soul searching drive in his car after Apollo's death and Robert Tepper's "No easy way out" plays in the background and it replays scenes from the previous three films.  And at this stage it all feels like a long way from the down to earth reality of the first two films and more like a fantasy based film, where the Rocky series has started to lose its grip on the reality of the character and the story just seems to enter the realms of the fantastical as Rocky indulges in the excesses of his wealth and success.

And another problem I have with the film and this applies to the director's cut also is of course Adrian's decision to travel to Russia AND LEAVE HER SON BEHIND ON HIS OWN!!!  I mean what the hell is that about???!  In the absence of his parents, the son has no guardians to look after him at all especially now that Paulie's sex bot is no longer in the film, Robert Jr is all on his own!! And it hardly shows good parenting that both Rocky and Adrian are willing to leave their son behind and when Rocky reunites with her he doesn't even think to say "Wait a minute!  Where is the kid??? Did you leave the kid at home all on his own????!".  So if Rocky at this point can't remember his kid's name, what chance has he of remembering if the kid is still at home on his own!! In short, they are both selfish and thoughtless parents here and it remains one of the big plot holes in the film. 

It also seems extremely unlikely given Drago's immense physical power that Rocky would be able to actually withstand a beating from him over 15 rounds in reality and it would be more likely that he too might have died in the ring.  But hey this is a movie after all and it is Rocky Balboa we are talking about here, and to a lesser extent Rocky V deals with the extent of Rocky's injuries in his aftermath of his battle with Drago probably as they needed to give some logical reasoning as to just how Rocky could withstand such a vicious pummeling in the ring. 

Also further to this, you look at the amount of sparring partners Drago must have had (and we only see a couple here) and you'd be surprised they survived as well. In fact it wouldn't be surprising if he had killed them too with his brute force and there was a deleted scene we don't know about where Drago's team dump the dead bodies in a heap somewhere! ;-) 

I think it was a bit stingy of the Russian government to not offer Rocky a better training camp for him other than a log cabin out in the middle of nowhere during the freezing winter!  I wonder if Rocky decided he wanted to train more naturally out in the open and using as few amenities as possible while the other guy get's to train in the most advanced high tech gym of all time!  It probably also lays on another example of xenophobia like the Russians are quite happy to leave Rocky literally out in the cold rather than give him any real comforts of a decent gym to train in as well as no sparring partners to practice with either! Ah well. 

On the upside however, they did at least not go with the cringe inducing moment of the Politburo members and the Russian premier applauding Rocky's speech at the end and instead we see them exit the arena in disgust, which feels more appropriate and a good decision on Stallone's behalf because the original was cheesy as hell!      

And last of all in regards to the actual director's cut itself, if I had one big criticism of it, it would be to do with its pacing at times, which feels a bit jarring and uneven with some rather random edits and scenes that were somewhat unnecessarily trimmed. Such an example is where we see Drago knock over the cardboard figure of Apollo for the exhibition bout as it was largely cut out and faded quickly over to the next scene but the result is quite jarring and doesn't work too well. 

Then there is the trimming of Brigette Nielsen's performance which was frankly a bit overkill here from Stallone as he cut out most of her dialogue. And yes OK I admit that her lines are pretty bad mostly especially the line where she berates the press by saying "You have this believe that you are so very good and we are so very bad!" which thankfully was cut out here but I still think Stallone was a bit harsh on diminishing her performance to the extent that he does here.

There is also an excessive amount of reaction scenes from the cast members this time around as we see the likes of Paulie, Adrian and even Apollo's wife react from various different camera angles in different scenes but all gets a bit repetitive and disrupts the flow of the film because there is so much of it going on. In fact it almost reminds me of the reaction scenes in the Family Guy parody of Return of the Jedi during the Sarlaac pit sequence where Luke, Lando and the others all nod at each other over and over!

So, that's it for the flaws.

SUM UP

So, to sum up, Rocky IV Director's Cut - Rocky vs Drago is a very solid re-edit of the original film and for the most part in succeeds in making the film that bit more credible and considerably less cheesy and thankfully it holds together better as a film than say Richard Donner's cut of Superman II. We also get to see a more human side of Drago in the film and in this re-cut version I swear he actually has more dialogue than his wife Ludmilla has! And its also nice to see so much unused footage put to good use here that offers a different perspective on the film. 

There are of course some issues with the director's cut that has some questionable pacing at times and some edit and trims to scenes that feel a bit unnecessary but that aside this is still a very solid version of Rocky IV and its well worth checking out, especially if you don't want to see Paulie's sex bot! 

So, I will rate this film:

8.5 out of 10  

So, thats it for now and I will be back next month with another post.

Until then its bye for now!  

First Blood Review (Revisited) "They drew first blood, not me!"

 

 

 

 

So, I figured its time for another post and this one will be another revisit of a post I did on the action film, First Blood, the original film in the Rambo series (and undoubtedly the best).

So, after 41 years, let's take another look at this action classic from the 80's...

And the usual warning is coming...

PLOT SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!

STORY

So, the story which begins with the film's main character, John Rambo (Stallone) who is a former member of an elite commando unit during the Vietnam war and is looking for one of the possible last surviving members of the unit Delmar Barry.  Rambo arrives at Barry's mother's home who tells him that Barry died years ago from cancer due to exposure to agent orange during the war.  Rambo then dispondently leaves and wanders into the town, Hope in Washington where he is picked up by the local police Sheriff Will Teasle (Brian Dennehy).  Rambo asks Teasle if there is a diner in town where he can eat but Teasle bluntly tells him that he doesn't want Rambo in his town and escorts out of the town.  However Rambo decides to head back to the town and Teasle arrests him on charges of vagrancy, resisting arrest and for carrying a concealed knife.  

At the police station Rambo is taunted by the police officers and particularly by the sadistic chief deputy Art Galt (Jack Starrett) who abuses him when Rambo refuses to answer his questions and later when he is forced to shower all of which reminds Rambo of flashbacks of when he was a prisoner of war back in Vietnam.  And as the police officers try to shave Rambo, it reminds him of his torture at the hands of the Vietcong, which causes him to snap and attack the police officers after which he flees from the station into the woods.  As a result Teasle is furious and orders a search party into the woods using automatic weapons, dogs as well as helicopter to capture Rambo.

During the search however Galt spots Rambo and attempts to snipe him by using his rifle, which prompts Rambo to grab a rock and throw it at helicopter which causes the pilot to tilt the helicopter causing Galt to fall out to his death below.  Rambo then later attempts to surrender saying he doesn't want to hurt anyone else but the police open fire and Rambo flees back into the woodland area.  Rambo then uses his hunting skills to disable the police officers by using traps as well as camoflague to sneak up on them.  And as Teasle moves in Rambo springs on him and holds a knife to his throat and threatens him to let his grudge go or he will "give him a war like you will never believe!".  

Not long after a small army that consists of the State police and the national gaurd arrive who are under the command of Colonel Sam Trautman (Richard Crenna) who was Rambo's mentor.  Trautman tells Teasle of Rambo's abilities and asks that he let Rambo go to diffuse the situation but does allow him to use his men in an effort to later capture Rambo, however Teasle refuses.  And its from here where Rambo battles for his own survival against Teasle and the army which soon leads into the film's dramatic climax......

THOUGHTS

Based on the novel of the same name by David Morrell, First Blood is a highly compelling and entertaining action film, which tells a good story of a troubled and misunderstood Vietnam veteran in John Rambo who after the war has seriously struggled to adapt to civilian life.  And there is not much doubt that for the most Rambo is a fairly sympathetic character who is a victim of a small town sherrif's resentment and jealous as they were both veterans of two different wars as Teasle is depicted as a Korean veteran as opposed to Rambo being in Vietnam.  

Stallone himself after he was cast took a lead role in the production of the film and also did several re-writes of the script and felt it best to have to tone down Rambo's more violent nature but show him to be a more sensitive and troubled soul as opposed to a mindless killer.  Stallone also insisted that Rambo in the film didn't kill anyone unlike in the book where Rambo kills most of his pursuers and the book's ending differs from the film where Rambo takes his life at the end rather than turn himself in to the authorities. 

PERFORMANCES

So getting onto the performances which are all very good starting with Sylvester Stallone who is excellent as troubled Vietnam veteran, Rambo who ends up in his own personal war between himself and Teasle.  

Stallone plays Rambo as a pretty subdued character and is somewhat sensitive but at the same time a bit deranged from his experiences during the war.  Stallone doesn't have a great deal of dialogue in the film but he does have some really good scenes all the same such as the scene where he attacks Teasle's men out in the woods.  And all of a sudden he springs himself on Teasle, holding a knife to his throat to warns Teasle "I could have killed 'em all, I could've killed you.  In town you're the law, out here it's me.  Don't push it!  Don't push it or I'll give you a war you won't believe.  Let it go. Let it go!".  

Then there is the scene where Trautman contacts Rambo via radio and Rambo tells Trautman that he is only surviving member left of his elite unit from the war and he describes how Barry who died of agent orange exposure "Got himself killed in 'Nam, didn't even know it. Cancer ate him down to the bone".  And Rambo also angrily tells Trautman how "There wouldn't be no trouble if it weren't for that king-shit cop!  All I wanted was something to eat, but the man kept pushing, sir" and Trautman says to him "You did some pushing yourself" and Rambo says "They drew first blood not me".  

And then there is the scene where there is a rare bit of humour in the film when Rambo intercepts one of the army trucks driving through the woods and he get's into the passenger seat and tells the driver to "Drive!" and the driver glances over at him and Rambo says "Don't look at me, look at the road!  That's how accidents happen!".

And lastly there is the scene which may split some viewers as some may say it is a rather laughable moment but others might say its a rather poignant one where Rambo spits out his rage at Trautman as to how he felt about the war and finally breaks down in tears and recalls a story where one of his friends was killed by a child VC terrorist.  Personally I think this is one of Stallone's finest acting moments in his career as he shows here that he really is an underrated actor (and yeah you can all disagree with me on that if you want lol!).  

And in the scene as Trautman tells him its over, Rambo yells back "NOTHING IS OVER!!  NOTHING!  You just don't turn it off! It wasn't my war! You asked me, I didn't ask you! And I did what I had to do to win! But somebody wouldn't let us win! And I come back to the world and I see all those maggots at the airport, protesting me, spitting. Calling me baby killer and all kinds of vile crap! Who are they to protest me? Who are they? Unless they've been me and been there and know what the hell they're yelling about!".  And then he finishes his rant by saying "Back there I could fly a gunship, I could drive a tank, I was in charge of million dollar equipment, back here I can't even hold a job PARKING CARS!!" as he tosses his M60 gun away angrily he then collapses on the floor sobbing.

Brian Dennehy who is also very good in his role as Teasle the bitter town sheriff who quickly takes a dislike to Rambo and then arrests him after Rambo walks back into the town without Teasle's permission.  

Denney also has some really good moments in the film such as the scene where he picks up Rambo and tells him "If you want some friendly advice, get a haircut and take a bath. You wouldn't get hassled so much".  And as Teasle notices the flag on Rambo's army jacket he says "You know, wearing that flag on that jacket, looking the way you do, you're asking for trouble around here, friend".  

Another good scene from Dennehy is just after they find Galt's dead body and one of the deputies Mitch, doesn't take the situation so seriously as they learn that Rambo was a green beret and won the congressional medal of honor. So, in the scene Teasle grabs Mitch and forces his head to look down at Galt's body and he shouts at him "You see that?! That was Galt! He was my friend! And we served our time in Korea together while your mother was still wiping your nose! And I'm gonna find him and pin that congressional medal of honor to his liver!".

And then there is the scene when after Rambo evades and has maimed several of Teasle's men he rants on about Rambo  If one of my deputies... gets out of line with a prisoner then the prisoner comes to me with it. And if I find out it's like he says I kick the deputy's ass!  ME!!  The LAW!!  People start fucking around with the law then all hell breaks loose!  Whatever possessed God in heaven to make a man like Rambo?!".  

And then there is the scene where Teasle tells Trautman that they picked up Rambo's trail again after they figured he was dead when the National guardsman fired a rocket launcher at Rambo earlier who fled into a tunnel.  "They found Rambo's body.  As a matter of fact, it stole an army truck!  Blew up a gas station the other side of town!".

Richard Crenna who was the only other actor to have appeared in all three Rambo films (and I'm excluding the newer 2008 Rambo film here of course because Crenna died in 2003) and he is also excellent in his role as Rambo's mentor and former commanding officer, Colonel Trautman.

Crenna also has his moments in the film and he get's a pretty good introduction to the film when he arrives on the scene near the woods when Teasle rants about "Whatever possessed God in heaven to make a man like Rambo?!" and in that moment Trautman says "God didn't make Rambo.  I made him!".  

And in the scene Trautman explains to Teasle what he is dealing with in Rambo "You don't seem to want to accept the fact you're dealing with an expert in guerrilla warfare, with a man who's the best, with guns, with knives, with his bare hands. A man who's been trained to ignore pain, ignore weather, to live off the land, to eat things that would make a billy goat puke. In Vietnam his job was to dispose of enemy personnel. To kill! Period! Win by attrition. Well Rambo was the best!".  

And then there is the scene when Teasle refuses to listen to Trautman even though Trautman gives Teasle command of his men and Teasle says "Are you telling me that 200 of our men against your boy is a no-win situation for us?!" and Trautman says "You send that many, don't forget one thing.  A good supply of body bags!".  

And then there is moment when Teasle says that Rambo was "just another drifter that broke the law!" and Trautman spits back "That's gonna look real good on his grave stone in Arlington: Here lies John Rambo, winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor, survivor of countless incursions behind enemy lines!  Killed for vagrancy in Jerkwater, USA!".  And as Teasle says that "Do you think Rambo was the only guy who had a tough time in Vietnam? He killed a police officer for Christ's sake!" Trautman replies sharply "You're goddamn lucky he didn't kill all of you!".

As for the supporting there are also some good performances such as Jack Starrett as the sadistic deputy chief Galt who takes pleasure in being unpleasant to Rambo at the police station and later tries to shoot him but ends up getting killed himself.  

Starrett's best scene however comes when Galt repeatedly asks Rambo his name, who doesn't answer as he suddenly has flashbacks of when he was  POW in Vietnam.  And as Galt notices his Army tags round his neck, one of the officers tries to take them and Rambo grabs the officer's hand to stop him and Galt produces his truncheon and warns him to let the officer go.  And as Galt looks at Rambo's tags he says to him "Rambo. John J? You will talk me to me, soldier!  Oh you will talk to me!". And as they get him to strip they see the scars on his chest and back but Galt doesn't care and says "Who gives a shit what happened to him?" and he says to Rambo "Turn around" and Rambo turns with his face to Galt, who hits him in the back with his baton and he says to the men "Teasle said clean him up, well clean him up".  

And lastly there is a very young David Caruso who plays the part of the young cop Mitch who actually has more common sense than the rest of the men despite his youth!

And Caruso has some notable moments such as the scene where Teasle's men including Mitch start to hunt Rambo after he escapes into the woods. So, as the men assemble and head into the woods, one of the men, Orval says "OK, let's get hunting!" and Mitch says to him "Hunting him? We ain't hunting him, he's hunting us!". And when Mitch later learns with the others that Rambo was a highly decorated soldier in Vietnam he says "I knew there was something about that guy!".

DIRECTOR

And finally we get to the direction and music paragraph and starting with the film's director, Ted Kotcheff who did an excellent job here with First Blood and he builds up the film's suspense really well throughout.  Kotcheff also makes good use of the film's locations as it was shot in British Columbia in Canada and the town scenes where shot in a town funnily enough called Hope that was in Canada and not Washington unlike it is in the film!  

As for the film's music, the score is another excellent one by Jerry Goldsmith who's score provides plenty moments of suspense and adventure but also has element of poignancy about it as well.  The only downside to the film's music however is the truly crap and cringe inducing theme song at the end "Its a Long Road" as sung by Dan Hill which plays over the credits as the film could definitely have done without it! That aside, this is still a fine score by Goldsmith.

FLAWS (Warning: this section may contain spoilers)

So flaws...... yeah OK First Blood has some here and there and for starters I felt in a way that the plot device of Rambo starting his personal war purely on the basis of Teasle not letting Rambo simply dine somewhere in his town to eat was a bit ridiculous to say the least!  But again this boils down to resentment on both sides as both guys clearly don't like one another from the get go and then it just escalates out of control.  But at the same time why didn't Teasle just say "Yeah you OK you can have one meal and be on your way" then that might have abated Rambo just enough to allow him to quietly leave the town without having to blow it up! 

And further to Teasle, it has to be said that he really is a somewhat annoying, presumptuous dick even to the people in his town! I mean there is a scene at the start where he says hello to some of the townsfolk and he basically insults one of them by saying "did you take a bath this week?". I mean what a complete asshole! This guy would do better to mind his business and just get on with his job rather than purport himself as the king of the town and being a dick to anyone in sight just because they failed to meet his high standards of hygiene! 

There are also one or two daft moments in the film where Rambo takes some heavy damage, such as his fall through the trees as he tries to avoid being shot by Galt, yet he manages to get away with just a cut on his arm and nothing more never mind a few broken ribs or worse! Also in the next scene, Rambo tries to surrender but Teasle and his men open fire on him anyway and Rambo appears to get hit by a ricochet of a bullet near his head but he doesn't die or even later appear to have suffered any wounds from ANY of the gunfire Teasle's men fire at him!

I also felt that in the film Rambo's character toward the end becomes a bit too deranged and addicted to destruction and he appears to needlessly blow alot of stuff up such as the petrol station and the gun store as its basically just his way of saying to Teasle "I'm back, bitch!!!".  But at the same time it just feels like you are watching some destruction porn and Rambo's justification to blow all this stuff seems a bit daft and unnecessary.  And at the end Rambo is set to become bloodthirsty at last as he shoots and injures Teasle but is stopped by Trautman before he finishes him off.

Also when you think about it I thought it was a bit daft for Trautman to hand over control of his soldiers and the national guardsman to Teasle to let him do the job of capturing Rambo when Teasle would gladly use them to kill him himself!  And Trautman even willingly let's Teasle use his soldiers despite the fact that he himself would rather let Rambo go to allow for the situation to be diffused.  And I also think that Teasle's arrogance is of course his own downfall as he knows he is up against an Elite special forces killing machine yet is still of the opinion "I don't give a crap!  I'm still gonna take this guy down myself!".  But in the end it all goes pear shaped anyway for Teasle all because he wouldn't listen to Trautman in the first place!

SUM UP

So to sum up, First Blood remains the first and best film out of the Rambo series (with a new Rambo film starring Stallone once again coming out soon, making this a timely review I guess!) and its features some good suspenseful action scenes, a good cast and a fine leading performance by Sylvester Stallone.  

And even after 41 years its still a gripping, intelligent and thought provoking action film which said something about the effects the Vietnam war had on its veterans even though I'm sure most of them didn't start their own personal war because they couldn't get anything to eat in a small town!  But that aside its still one of Stallone's best films and well worth a look.

And I will rate First Blood:

9 out of 10

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

Until then bye for now!   

Star Trek Generations Review "Sounds like fun!"

 

 

 

 

Right, well time for another post and this one is on a Star Trek film, which I've recently re-watched and is a very old post on this blog, Star Trek: Generations. So, I figured I would give it an overhaul and do a revisitation of the film, which is now almost 30 years old! 

So, after 29 years, let's see how Generations still fairs...

And the usual warning is coming...

PLOT SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!!!

STORY 

So, the film begins in the 23rd century with the now retired Captain Kirk (William Shatner) attending the maiden voyage of the newest model of the Enterprise, along with his former shipmates, Scotty (James Doohan) and Chekov (Walter Koenig).  However the ship soon receives a distress call and they are forced to respond to try and save two ships from a large energy ribbon in space which ultimately destroys the ships, but some of the crew are saved.  Kirk however in an effort to help save the Enterprise from being caught in the path of the ribbon goes to the lower decks to alter the deflector shields, however the ribbon passes over the hull of the ship and takes a section of it away into the vaccum of space and Krik with it.  From here Kirk is presumed dead and is never seen again.

The story then moves forward to the 24th century, where the current crew of the Enterprise, headed by Captain Jean Luc Picard (Stewart) receive a distress call from a solar observatory.  On arriving at the observatory they find only one survivor, Doctor Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell) who is taken back onboard the Enterprise.  Soran however is keen to get to back to the observatory and while the Enterprise crew members, Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) and the android Data (Brent Spiner) search it, Soran surprises them, knocking out Geordi, and Data having recently installed a new emotion chip, finds himself too afraid to retaliate.  

Soran is transported with Geordi to a Klingon bird of prey, which is under the command of the renegade Duras sisters (played by Barbara March and Gwynyth Walsh).  Soran plans to do business with them by giving them a compound called Trilithium which the sisters want so they can create a powerful weapon.  Picard speaks with the Enterprise's bartender, Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) who tells him that Soran is trying to re-establish a link with the ribbon, which is called the Nexus.  Guinan describes the Nexus as being like inside joy, and that is what Soran is trying to do, however in order to do that he will use a nuclear missile to detonate a nearby sun on the planet Veridian III, but the impact while ultimately destroy the planet.

Picard soon tracks Soran to the planet and tries unsuccessfully, to reason with him, but soon enough Soran fires his missile just as the nexus ribbon arrives he is transported.  However while this is happening Geordi has been given back to the Enterprise crew, has unbeknownst to him, had his visor changed to allow the Duras sisters to see his vision, and they launch an attack on the Enterprise, but they are soon destroyed in the attack.  The enterprise however suffers a warp core breach, where the ship's saucer section is separated and it crash lands on Veridian III, and shortly after the nexus wave passes over the planet and it is destroyed.  

Picard meanwhile has been transported to the Nexus and he finds he has a wife and children, something he has always wanted beside his duty, but he soon realises it isn't real and speaks to an image of Guinan who explains he is in the Nexus and he can go anywhere from here.  Guinan also explains that another man has just arrived in the nexus as well, and as Picard goes to find him we see none other than Captain James T. Kirk chopping wood, who is caught up in his own fantasy of being at home, with a chance to reuinte with an old flame.  And from here its up to Picard to try and persuade Kirk to help him save the day....

THOUGHTS 

While its not the strongest entry in the Star Trek franchise, Generations still is quite a good effort and it brought in the Next Generation cast very well.  Although the Next Generation crew weren't quite as colourful or as fun the original crew, its still entertaining and they are introduced amusingly in the scene where the Enterprise crew are all dressed in a navy outfits, where Worf (Michael Dorn) is given promotion, but he has to walk the plank on an old ship to get his "hat of office", but they remove the plank and he falls into the water (however it turns out to be a holodeck!). And the ship's android, Data of course steals the show quite often in the film, who has an emotion chip installed that makes him behave well...emotionally(!) and provides quite a few laughs. 

As for the reappearance of Kirk is a very welcome one and his two old crewmates, Scotty and Chekov and when you see them together you see the rapport they have which is a lot of fun.  However Picard is always pretty straight laced and a bit too goody goody and lacks the rebellious streak that Kirk had.

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

So, as for the performances in Generations, they are pretty good all around. 

Starting with Patrick Stewart in the role of Captain Picard, who has always played the part with a strong moral compass and seriousness about his duty as a starfleet officer and he does a fine job here in reprising the role. 

And Stewart does have some good scenes worth mentioning such as the one where Picard tearfully laments over the death of his brother and his nephew to the ship's counselor Deanna Troi even if his acting is a bit corny. 

And in the scene Picard looks over a family photo book and he tells Troi "You never met my brother and his wife, did you? He was always so pompous and arrogant, always had to have the last word. I was going to get together with them all next month. Rene has always wanted to see Starfleet academy" and Troi asks "Rene? Oh your nephew". Picard then says "Yes. He's so unlike his father...he's a dreamer, imaginative" and he breaks into tears and says "so very gentle!". Troi then asks "What's happened?" and Picard tearfully says "Robert and Rene they were burned to death in a fire". And he laments over Rene's death and missing out on life experiences and how no one will be left to carry on the Picard family name. So, he says to Troi "From being a small child, I can remember being told about the family line. The Picard who fought at Trafalgar. The Picard who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. The Picards who settled the first Martian colonies. And when Robert married and he had a son, I..." and Troi says "You felt it was no longer your responsibility to carry on the family line" and Picard says "Yes, that's it exactly. But now there will no longer be any Picards".

Then there is the scene where Picard meets with Data in a computer room where they chart the stars to work out what Soran is up to and Data becomes overwhelmed by his emotion chip.

So, Picard in the scene watches Data become anxious and asks him "Data, are you alright?" and Data says "No, sir. I'm finding it difficult to concentrate. I am overwhelmed with feelings of remorse from my actions on the observatory". Picard then asks Data "What do you mean?" and Data tells him "I wanted to save Gordi, but I felt something I never expected...fear. I was afraid". And then later Data stands up and tells Picard "I wish to be deactivated until Dr Crusher can remove the chip" and Picard asks "Are you experiencing some malfunction?" and Data tells him "No, sir. I simply do not have the ability to control these emotions" but Picard tells him "Data, I have nothing but sympathy for what you are going through right now...". Data however becomes angry and says "Sir, I no longer want these emotions! Deactivating is the only solution!". And then Picard tells Data "Part of having feelings, Data is integrating them into your life and learning to live with them no matter what the consequences...". Data says fearfully "Sir, I cannot..." but Picard firmly tells him "You will not be deactivated! You are an officer aboard this ship and I require you to do your duty! That is an order commander!". 

Then there is the scene where Picard comes around in the Nexus to find he is a home where he is greeted by his children and wife on Christmas day but then he speaks to an image of Guina when he realises its all not real as he looks at the gleaming lights in the Christmas tree.

So, Picard says to himself "This isn't right, this isn't real" and Guinan appears and tells Picard "Its as real as you want it to be" and Picard says to her "Guinan. What's going on? Why am I here?" and Guinan tells him "You're in the Nexus" and Picard asks "This is the Nexus?" and Guinan says "It is for you. Its what you wanted" and Picard says "But I never had a wife and children or a home like this. Guinan what are you doing here? I thought you were onboard the Enterprise?" and she tells him "I am but I am also here. Think of me as an echo of the person you already know". Picard then looks around at the warm sight of his family and smiles to himself and says "These are my children" but then realises he must leave and he tells one of his sons to go on without him. So, Picard says "Guinan, how can I get out of here?" and Guinan says "Well you can leave and go wherever you want" and Picard says "Well, I want to go back to before Soran destroyed a star. If you could come back with me..." and Guinan says to him "But I'm not here remember. But I know someone who can help you and from his point of view, he's just arrived here too". 

Then there is the scene where Picard and Kirk ride together on horseback and Kirk realises the Nexus isn't real either. So, Kirk says to Picard "Captain of the Enterprise?" and Picard says "Yes" and Kirk says "You thinking of retiring?" and Picard says "I wasn't planning on it" and Kirk tells him "Well don't! Don't let them promote you, transfer you, don't let them take you off that bridge because when you are on it, you can make a difference" and Picard pleads with him "Come back with me! Help me stop Soran and make a difference again". 

And last of all is the final scene where Picard and Riker survey the damage of the saucer of the Enterprise and Picard tells Riker what Soran once said to him about time being a predator. So, Picard tells Riker "You know someone once told me that time is a like a predator that stalks us throughout our lives. But I'd rather think of time as a companion that lives with us through a journey. What's important is not what we leave behind but how we lived. After all, No.1, we're only mortal" and Riker jokes "Speak for yourself, sir. I plan to live forever!". And Picard on his comms says "Two to beam up!" and they are teleported away. 

William Shatner is great once again in his role as the retired Captain Kirk, who goes missing after saving the Enterprise B from being destroyed by the Nexus and is presumed dead until Picard meets him later on. 

And Shatner has plenty of good moments in the film that include his first scene where Kirk inspects the new Enterprise and he meets Sulu's daughter. And Kirk amazed asks Scotty "How did Sulu find the time for a family" and Scotty says "Well as you say, if something is important you make the time. Oh, is that the problem? Finding retirement a little lonely are we?" and Kirk annoyed says "You know, I'm glad your an engineer. With tact like that, you'd make a lousy psychiatrist!".

This is then followed by the moment in the same sequence where the Nexus destroys one of the ships in a distress call and the inexperience Enterprise B Captain Harriman (played by Alan Ruck) asks Kirk for help. So, Harriman in the scene says "Captain Kirk, I would appreciate any suggestions you might have" and Kirk goes up to him and says "First, move us within transporter range and beam those people onboard the Enterprise" and Harriman asks "What about the gravimetric distortions? They'll tear us apart" and Kirk smiles and says "Risk is part of the game if you want to sit in that chair" and one of the press people too near Kirk annoys him with a light in his eyes and Kirk says "Second, turn that damn thing off!".

And then there is the scene where Picard and Kirk meet in the Nexus and Kirk has made breakfast for his ex-girlfriend, Antonia (who is off screen) as he relives his past in the Nexus. And as Picard tries to persuade Kirk to come with him to stop Soran, Kirk rebuffs him. So, Picard says "You are a Starfleet officer and you have a duty!" and Kirk says "I don't need to be lectured by you! I was out saving the galaxy while your grandfather was wearing diapiers, besides I think the galaxy owes me one! And what did it get me? An empty house? Not this time. This time I'm gonna march up into that bedroom and tell Antonia I want to marry her. This time its going to be different!". 

However not long after, both men ride on horseback and Kirk makes a tricky jump on his horse which makes him realise the Nexus isn't real. So, Kirk says Picard after the jump "You know, I must have made that jump 50 times, scared the hell out of me each time, except this time...because it wasn't real. Nothing is real here, nothing matters. Maybe its not about an empty house, maybe its about that empty seat on the Enterprise". And Kirk approaches Picard on his horse and asks him "Captain of the Enterprise?" and Picard says "That's right" and Kirk asks him "Close to retirement?" and Picard says "I'm not planning on it" and Kirk tells him "Don't! Don't let them promote you. Don't let them transfer you. Don't let them do ANYTHING that takes you off the bridge of that ship, because while you're there... you can make a difference". Picard then asks him to come back with him to help stop Soran and Kirk says "Who am I to argue with the Captain of the Enterprise? I take it the odds are against us and the situation is grim?" and Picard says "You could say that". Kirk then says "You know if Spock were here, he would say I'm an illogical human being for taking on such a mission. Sounds like fun!". 

And last of all is the scene where Kirk has his last moment in the film as he lies among the collapsed bridge remains, mortally wounded he says his farewell to Picard. So, in the scene Kirk says to Picard softly "Did we do it? Did we make a difference?" and Picard says "Oh yes we did" and Kirk softly says "Least I could do for the Captain of the Enterprise" but then he says his last words "It was fun....oh my" and dies and we then later see Picard bury Kirk. RIP Kirk! 

Malcolm MacDowell is excellent in his role as Dr Soran, the main villain of the film, who is desperate to get to the Nexus no matter at what cost to anyone else and is in cahoots with the renegade Klingon Dursa sisters. 

And MacDowell his some notable scenes such as the one where Soran meets with Picard and he asks for his help to get back to the observatory he was picked up on. So, in the scene Picard tells Soran "We are still conducting our investigation of the observatory, as soon as that is complete then you can return until then there is nothing I can do!". Soran however grabs Picard before he can go and tells him "They say time is the fire in which we burn. Right now, Captain, my time is running out. We leave so many things unfinished in our lives. I know you understand" and Picard affected clearly by his words says eventually "I'll see what I can do". 

Another good scene is when Soran has captured the Enterprise's engineer, La Forge and is onboard the Klingon vessel and he questions him. So, Soran says to La Forge "Wouldn't you consider a prosthesis that would make you look, how shall I put it, more normal?" and La Forge says "What's normal?" and Soran says "That's a good question. Normal is what everyone else is and you aren't". Le Forge however says "Can we just get down to it. What do you want?" and Soran tells him "As you may or may not be aware, I am an El-Aurian. Some people call us a race of listeners. We listen. Right now, Mr. La Forge, you have my complete attention. I want to listen to everything you know about trilithium".

Then there is the scene where Picard tries to dissuade Soran from launching his rocket to destroy the Veridian sun, unsuccessfully. So, Picard says to Soran "What you are doing now is no different than when the Borg destroyed your world, your wife and children". Soran takes a moment to consider Picard's words but then smiles at Picard and says "Nice try! You know there was a time, I would never hurt a fly and then the Borg and if they taught me one thing that if there one constant in the universe, its death. Oh, you can try and slow it down with doctors and medicines but in the end, time will close in and make the kill". Soran then asks Picard "Don't you feel time, Captain? Its like a predator, its stalking you!" and Picard says "Time is what defines us, its the truth of our existence" and Soran then says "What if I told you, I found a new truth?" and Picard says "The Nexus" and Soran says "Time has no meaning there, the predator has no teeth!". 

And last of all is the scene where Soran is confronted by Picard and Kirk and Soran asks Kirk "Just who the hell are you?" and Picard says "He's James T. Kirk. Don't you read history?" and Soran scarpers from them. However as Kirk tries to follow Soran, Soran springs on him and points his gun at him and says "Actually I am familiar with history, Captain, and if I'm not mistaken, you're dead!". And in his last moments, Soran catches Picard up at his missile launcher pad and points his gun at him and yells "PICARD! Get away from that launcher! NOW!!!". And Picard runs away only for Soran to arrive at his launcher and find Picard has put on the locking clamps for the missile and it explodes taking Soran with it. 

Brent Spiner next is great as Data, the Enterprise's android crew member, who installs an emotion chip with both humorous and dramatic consequences and Spiner steals the show at times throughout the film when he's in it.

And Spiner has his share of notable scenes that include the one where Data fails to understand why Worf being dropped into water when walking the plank, is funny, so he asks Dr Crusher to explain to him with amusing consequences. So, Data says to Crusher "Doctor, I fail to understand how dropping someone into water is funny" and Crusher says "Oh, its all in fun, Data" and Data asks "Fun?" and Crusher "You have to be spontaneous, live in the moment. Got it?" and Data says "Got it" and he pushes Crusher into the water and Data looks over amused only to see no one else is laughing. And Geordi says to Data "Data..." and Data says "that was..." and Geordi says "not funny!". 

Then there is the scene where after just having installed the emotion chip, Data goes into a bar with Geordi and Guinan offers him a drink which he reacts to. So, Geordi asks him "What's wrong?" and Data flinches on drinking it and says "I believe this beverage has provoked an emotional response" and Geordi asks "What is it?" and Data says "Because I have so little experience with emotion, I find it hard to articulate the sensation" and Guinan says "Well it looks like he hates it" and Data says "That's it! I hate this!" and he drinks more of it and flinches again and says "I hate this! This is revolting!" and Guinan asks him "More?" and Data smiles and says "Please!".

And then there is the scene where Data and Geordi look around the observatory and Data laughs out loud at a joke from years ago that Geordi told. So, Data laughs loudly and he says "I get it! I get it! When you said "the clown can stay but the Ferengi in the gorilla suit has to go". Geordi then asks "Data what are you talking about?" and Data says "During the farpoint mission: we were on the the bridge and you told a joke and that was the punchline". And Geordi says "Farpoint. Data, that was seven years ago" and Data says "I know I just got it! Very funny!" and he laughs more.

And then there is the scene where Data struggles to control his emotions when he is doing some stellar cartography with Picard as he feels tremendous guilty and remorse for not helping Geordi. So, in the scene Picard asks Data "Data, are you alright?" and Data shaken says "No, sir. I'm finding it difficult to concentrate. I am overwhelmed with feelings of remorse from my actions on the observatory". Picard then asks Data "What do you mean?" and Data tells him "I wanted to save Gordi, but I felt something I never expected...fear. I was afraid". And then later Data stands up and tells Picard "I wish to be deactivated until Dr Crusher can remove the chip" and Picard asks "Are you experiencing some malfunction?" and Data tells him "No, sir. I simply do not have the ability to control these emotions" but Picard tells him "Data, I have nothing but sympathy for what you are going through right now...". Data however becomes angry and says "Sir, I no longer want these emotions! Deactivating is the only solution!". And then Picard tells Data feelings are learning to live with them and integrate them into his life and he will not be deactivated and firmly says he must perform his duty and Data says "Yes, sir. I'll try sir". 

Then there is of course the funny scene where Data having gotten over his guilt and controlled himself, cheerily walks back onboard the Enterprise bridge and Riker asks him to scan for life forms. So, Riker says to Data "Data, would you scan for lifeforms?" and Data cheerily says "I would be happy to, sir. I just love scanning for life forms" and then he sings as he types on a keypad "Life forms, you tiny little life forms, where are you?" and snaps his fingers in a Samba-esque manner leaving Riker wide-eyed. 

Another good scene is when Data works out how he can make the Dursa sisters Klingon vessel decloak when they are being fired on. So, as Data successfully manages to use the Klingon's plasma coils against them, Riker orders to open fire on the Klingon ship, which blows up and afterwards we see Data stand up and with a clenched fist shout "YES!" victoriously. But this is then followed by the news that the Enterprise suffers a warp core breach and they separate the saucer section, which hurtles towards a nearby planet and as we see the planet nearer on the screen, Data says "Ohhhh shit!". 

And last of all is Spiner's last scene where Data finds his cat, Spot while he talks to Counselor Troi and he says beforehand to her "I believe having experienced 261 distinct emotional states, I am in control of my emotions and they will never longer control me". However as he uses his scanner to find signals of life, he soon discovers his cat underneath some rubble and as Data hugs Spot, he begins to cry and Troi asks "Data, what's wrong?" and Data sobs and says "I don't know, Counselor. I am happy to see Spot yet I am crying, maybe the chip isn't working" and Troi reassures him "I think its working perfectly".

Jonathan Frakes next is also very good in his role as Commander Riker, Picard's second in command on the Enterprise. 

And Frakes has some good moments that include his first scene where the Enterprise crew are all dressed in historical sea navy outfits and Worf is given his promotion in a formal manner of the time. So, in the scene Riker reads from a scroll to Worf ""We, the officers and crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, being of sound mind and judgment, hereby make the following charges against Lieutenant Worf. One, that he did knowingly and willfully perform above and beyond the call of duty on countless occasions. Two, most seriously, that he has earned the admiration and respect of the entire crew." And as Worf is made to walk the plank to get his hat of "office" he successfully jumps to get it without falling in the water. So, afterward Riker says "Computer, remove the plank!" and the plank vanishes and Worf goes in the water and Picard corrects him and says "No.1, that's retract the plank not remove the plank" and Riker says "Of course, sir" and he shouts to Worf "Sorry!". And as the two men stand together Picard smiles and says how he feels free being at sea (even though its a holodeck!) "This was freedom, Will" and Riker says "Bad food, brutal discpline, no women!". 

And then there is the scene where Riker tells Picard his findings on investigating the observatory but Picard is clearly still upset over the deaths of his brother and nephew, which Riker is unaware. So, in the scene Riker says to Picard "Oh, a Doctor Solan asked to speak to you, I said you were very busy and couldn't see him but he said it was absolutely imperative that you speak to him" and Picard says "Understood. Thank you, Number One that will be all". And Riker before he goes, stops at the door and asks Picard "Sir, is there something else...?" and Picard interrupts and says "No thank you" and Riker walks out. 

And last of all is the scene at the end where Riker and Picard walk around the wreckage of the Enterprise bridge. And Riker says "I'm going to miss this ship, she went before her time". And Picard reflects on what Soran said to him about time being a predator but he considers time to be a companion on a journey. And then Picard turns to Riker and says "After all, number one, we're only mortal" and Riker smiles and says "Speak for yourself, sir. I plan to live forever". 

As for the other cast members of the Next Generation they all do well enough with their respective roles of which I will quickly say something about:

Gates McFadden is pretty good (and pretty!) as Doctor Crusher, who is the ship's medical officer and she has an amusing scene where Data pushes her in the water at the start of the film. And Data says to her "So, Data says to Crusher "Doctor, I fail to understand how dropping someone into water is funny" and Crusher says "Oh, its all in fun, Data" and Data asks "Fun?" and Crusher "You have to be spontaneous, live in the moment. Got it?" and Data says "Got it" and he pushes Crusher into the water and Data looks over amused only to see no one else is laughing. 

Marina Sirtis is also good as the ship's Counselor, Troi, who's main part in the film comes when Troi helps Picard come to terms with the death of his brother and nephew. And in the scene, Troi asks Picard "Captain, what happened?" as Picard breaks down in tears as he talks of his nephew and Picard says "They burned to death in a fire" and Troi says "I'm sorry" and Picard says "No, its alright, these things happen" and Troi says "Captain, it is NOT alright!". Picard laments over his nephew not growing up and Troi asks him "I didn't realise he meant so much to you" and Picard says "He was the closest I had come to having a son" and Troi asks Picard "Family is very important to you, isn't it?". And Picard tells her how his family name has always been important and once his brother was married and had a son, the family line could carry on, Troi says to him "It was no longer your responsibility to carry the family line". 

Levar Burton is also pretty good as Geordi La Forge, the Enterprise's chief engineer who installs Geordi's emotion chip for him and is later captured by Soran. 

And Levar has two scenes of note starting the one where Data asks Geordi to install the emotion chip for him. And as Data approaches the chip that sits in an electric housing, Geordi says to him "Data, you're not actually thinking of using that thing are you?". And Data says to him "I had considered it for many months" and Geordi says "I thought you were worried about it overloading your neural net" and Data says "That is true but in light of my previous encounter with Doctor Crusher, now might be the appropriate time". Data then takes the chip and holds it towards Geordi and says quietly "Geordi..." and Geordi sighs and says "Alright" and he takes the chip and Data goes over to sit down and Geordi removes Data's hair covering to reveal the electrical components of his brain and Geordi says "Listen, the first sign I see of a malfunction, I'm deactivating it. Agreed?" and Data says "Agreed".

And lastly there is the scene where Geordi having recovered from his capture onboard the Klingon vessel is paid a visit by Data, who is still guilt ridden over leaving him on the observatory. So, Data says to Geordi who is lying on a bed in sick bay "I am sorry I let you down. I have not been behaving like myself lately" and Geordi says to him as he get's off the bed onto his feet "No, Data, you haven't. You've been behaving like a human" and he walks off leaving Data with a little smile. 

As for the other cast members, Gwynth Walsh and Barbara March are both good in their roles as the Duras sisters, the renegade Klingons who are after the Enterprise and in cahoots with Soran. And I will quickly mention them one by one starting with March who plays B'Etor and she has a couple of funny lines such as the one where we first see her as Soran boards their vessel and he hits her and her men pin him down and she takes out her knife and puts some of her blood on his sip and says "I do hope for your sake, you are not trying to propose some form of mating ritual?!". And then there is the funny line where Soran having hacked Geordi's visor, they can see what he sees on the Enterprise on their screen and they see Doctor Crusher's face and B'Etor recoils at seeing her and says "Human females are so repulsive!".  March sadly doesn't have as many notable lines in the film but she does well enough with what she is given to work with here.

And last of all are the two actors form the original crew, Walter Koenig as Chekov and James Doohan as Scotty who are on the Enterprise B with Kirk at the start of the film. 

And I will start with Walter's scene where Chekov introduces Kirk to Sulu's daughter and says "I'd like you to meet the helmsman of the Enterprise. Demora. Ensign Demora Sulu" and Kirk looks at her amazed. And Kirk asks her "Your father is Hikaru Sulu?" and she says "Yes, sir" and Chekov says "Oh, you've met her before but she was..." and he indicates a small child size and Kirk says "It couldn't have been that long enough ago, it was..." and Chekov says "12 years ago, sir" and Kirk shakes her hand and says "Incredible!". And after Demora leaves, Chekov says to Kirk "I was never that young" and Kirk says "No, you were younger". And later on when Kirk vanishes from the Enterprise deck while rescuing the ship, Chekov and Scotty arrived on the deck as they look out into the open space and Chekov says "My God! Was someone in here?!" and Scotty grimly says "Aye".

And then onto James Doohan, he also has some funny lines in his main scene particularly where Kirk is amazed at Demora being Sulu's daughter. And in the scene as Scotty looks around he says of the Enterprise B "Damn fine ship if you ask me" and Kirk says "Scotty, it amazes me?" and Scotty asks "And what would that be sir?" and Kirk says "Sulu. When did he find the time for a family?" and Scotty says to him "Well, like you say, sir, if something's important you make the time". Scotty then teases him and says "Oh, that's it? Finding retirement a little lonely are we?" and Kirk says "You know I'm glad your an engineer, with tact like that you'd make a lousy psychiatrist!". 

And then there is the moment where Scotty tries to beam people off the ship that is being destroyed by the Nexus energy ribbon. So, Scotty says as one of the crew says "I am having trouble locking onto them" Scotty says "What the hell? Their life signs are phasing in and out of our space time continium?" and as one of the crew says "Sir, their hull is collapsing" Kirk shouts "Beam them out of there, Scotty!" and Scotty does so and he says grimly "Transport complete. I got 47 out of 150".  

DIRECTOR 

As for the director, David Carson does the duties here and he does a fine job overall as he was already an experienced director on the Next Generation TV show. Carson also does a pretty good job at pacing the film's dialogue and action scenes with my main critcism in terms of his pacing only comes with the sequence of the Enterprise's saucer crashing onto Veridian III as its a very lengthy drawn out scene that goes a bit too long. That aside though, Carson does very well here with the film.

MUSIC 

As for the music score, it was composed by Dennis McCarthy who does a pretty good job with the soundtrack, which closely resembles his work from the Next Generation TV show he worked on. The score has plenty of good moments and even manages to be quite emotional and poignant in places thanks to the film's more emotional moments as Kirk and Picard are in the Nexus. It does however have a kind of TV movie feel to it though as it is much the same sound as one of the scores from a Next Generation episode but that aside, its pretty good. 

FLAWS (Warning: this section may contain spoilers!) 

As for flaws, yes Generations does have some worth mentioning.

First of all, there is the controversial decision to kill off Kirk and its not so much that but more the nature of Kirk's death in the end is a bit lame as he lies in the wreckage of the broken bridge that Soran shot down, and he says quietly "Oh my...." as his last line before he passes on, which is pretty feeble to say the least! I mean if they had to kill off Kirk here surely they should have given him a better send-off line than just "oh my". Its a pretty feeble send-off. 

I also felt that while I enjoyed Malcolm McDowell's performance, his character was poorly written  mainly because he talks in cliches and some of his dialogue is pretty cringe worthy. And this is especially notable in the scene where he turns to Picard and says "Now do excuse me, Captain, because I have an appointment with eternity and I don't want to be late!" and another example being "Don't you feel time gaining on you, Captain. Its like a predator, stalking you!". So, yeah his lines definitely left much to be deserved at times but ah well that's things go.

Another issue I had with the film is the inclusion of the Klingon Dursa sisters because their appearance would not really be known by any casual watchers of the franchise films and most likely only by actual fans of the TV show itself. And the way in which they are introduced to the film is a bit off as well with a rushed scene with Soran and later we see that Picard knows who they are but beyond that, unless you've watched the TV show then its bound to be less clear what they are really about and their intentions beyond the loose explanation given by Soran for them to reclaim the Klingon empire. 

Another thing that bothered me was when Picard arrived in the Nexus and met with his wife and children, why the hell where they all in Victorian clothes????  I mean they lived in the 24th century and not the 19th!  It just seemed to be a very peculiar choice for them to be wearing clothes like they belong in some period drama! Or maybe just perhaps in Picard's subconscious perhaps he wants everyone to dress like that and get back to Victorian values! ;-) 

I also found it a bit incredible that Picard was able to somehow drag Kirk's dead body out of the broken bridge rubble to actually bury him under some rocks. I mean for starters, the guy is pretty heavy and secondly, the broken bridge parts he was trapped in looked pretty heavy also. So, I don't quite buy that Picard was able to manage both of these things here as he doesn't appear to possess great strength and we know that as Soran kicked his ass quite easily! 

And last of all, I have to say I found the concept of the holodeck to be a bit stupid because if they are on a holodeck of an old sea ship, how exactly then can Worf actually fall into water and get wet?! I mean are they in a deck that has pool in it of sorts? I just can't understand how he actually does get wet in the first place in that instance, the other stuff of seeing holograms of historical ship workers of that time walking around is fine but actual water I don't quite get.

Anyway that's it for the flaws. 

SUM UP 

So, to sum up Star Trek Generations is still a worthy and entertaining addition to the Star Trek franchise and while its not one of the best film in the series overall it has plenty going for it with the inclusion of William Shatner as Kirk in his final performance being a highlight. The main cast of the TV show are also all pretty good for the most part even if Picard's character is a lot more square and serious than Kirk ever was but Patrick Stewart still does a fine job with the role. However its Brent Spiner that steals the show here as he is often funny here as Data especially as he discovers the highs and lows of his emotion chip. 

And yes its not the best film in the franchise as I said although I would still put it as my favourite out of the Next Generation films in all honesty (yep controversial I know!) with First Contact in second place but its certainly not a patch on the finest films from the original cast and crew. However any flaws aside, this is still a very enjoyable film and worth a look almost 30 years onward from its release.

And I will give Star Trek: Generations...

8 out of 10 

So, that's it for this one and I will be back soon with another post.

Until then its bye for now and engage warp!   

Resident Evil Remake (Revisited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, its May and time for another post on this blog, which just happens to be a revisitation again (yet again lol!) and this one will be on the classic action horror video game, Resident Evil Remake, which is a remake of the original 1996 game and was released in 2002.

So, after 21 years, how does this remake still fair??? Well, shuffle in and find out. 

And the usual warning is coming...

PLOT SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!!!

STORY

Right so the story is set around a large mansion which members of the STARS (Special Tactics and Rescue Service) Alpha team seek refuse in when they are attacked by some vicious dogs.  The team includes Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Barry Burton and Albert Wesker, and in the game you have choice of playing either Chris or Jill.  Depending on which character you chose some of the other characters may be missing such as Barry if you play Chris, or Chris if you play Jill.  As the player you play investigates the mansion they discover a zombie chomping on the corpse of STARS Bravo team, and the zombie attacks your character, which you can either shoot or stab the creature.

As the gameplay progress your character will also face a series of deadly traps and puzzles to negotiate.  Your character will at certain moments in the game encounter other team mates who have been killed or badly injured.  And one of the characters you encounter, Enrico Marini, tells you one of the team is a traitor, however he is shot and killed before you find out more.  As the character moves on in the game they will eventually find an underground laboratory and they will eventually face the traitor and main antagonist in the game... 

THOUGHTS 

At the time of its original release, Resident Evil was a real breakthrough in the horror genre and it took 3D gaming to new visual heights, with its stunning albeit pre-rendered backdrops and its somewhat blocky looking character models.  However one of the most effective things about the original Resident Evil was the way in which it built up the tension and the suspense and it made great use of visual cues such as when you enter it another room, you get a cutaway to a door opening, complete with creaky noises, which adds to the fear factor as to what might behind it.

The remake however of course went on to enhance the original and it has a variety of new aspects to its gameplay as well as different puzzles and the introduction of some new characters such as Lisa Trevor, who has been turned into a genetically mutated creature after years of experimentation.  Lisa is seen in certain sections of the game where you wander around the tunnels and you first encounter her in an outhouse and she proves to be nearly indestructible in the game.

The remake also makes reference to other characters as well in the series such as William Birkin (who appears in Resident Evil 0) and Alexia Ashford (who appears in Resident Evil: Codename Veronica).  And in the remake the atmosphere is very creepy and intense throughout in fact even more so as given its new overhaul it does everything to enhance the terror of it all.  

GAMEPLAY 

As for the actual gameplay this is where Resident Evil really shines as the controls are pretty simple although it has to be said your movement is somewhat restricted due to the nature of the pre-rendered backdrops.  The level of difficulty is determined by which character you play as Chris is the hardest method while Jill is the easier one although it has to be said the remake can pose a fair challenge irrespective of who you play.

COMBAT AND WEAPONS 

In terms of the game's combat in the remake, in addition to your usual weapons such as a handgun, shotgun, flamethrower and grenade launcher, you also have defensive weapons that include a dagger, a taser and a stun grenade, which are pretty cool to use.  While both Jill and Chris can use the taser,  Chris can only use the stun grenade, and Chris can use the grenade to cool effect as when a zombie attacks him he can stick it in the zombie's gub and shoot at it to blow the zombies head off (sick but fun!).  You also have access to first aid sprays and herbs to heal yourself from injuries, and if you combine certain herbs they can be used to cure your character if they get poisoned.

SAFE ROOMS AND INVENTORY

Similar to the original the remake also features a game save system where you enter a storeroom and you can save your progress via the use of a typewriter, and you need to keep a stock of typewriter ribbons in order to save each time.  As for storage capacity, Chris can hold only six items but Jill can hold eight at one time and when they go into the storerooms they can swap out equipment as they need it. In the hard version of the game however, the game takes a more realistic approach as the storage boxes all individually hold the items you put in them rather being all centralised and holding the same items like the easier modes of the game.

CHARACTERS AND CHOICES 

The game at certain points may also call for the character to save one of their team mates, Richard, who is poisoned by a giant snake, and you must run to the storage room to get a serum to cure him.  Another really good aspect of the gameplay of both the original and the remake is that given the character you play, you can have different endings to the games and there will be different consequences as a result if you don't rescue your fellow team mates such as Barry or Chris.    

ENEMIES 

Another great aspect of Resident Evil is also the baddies, to start with the zombies, who in the original were creepy and when they attacked you, they bite you near to the point of death unless you push them off.  In the remake they are even more creep and effective as they will bite you but you can also make a pre-emptive attack by using your defensive weapon to stab or stun them.  The zombies however no matter how many rounds you pump into them will not stay down unless you decapitate them or incinerate their bodies, and if you do neither they come back to live twice as fast and strong as well as angry, which adds to the incredible unease of the remake.

The other enemies also include for example the rabid dogs, who you usually find running around the courtyard and one of the game's showpieces is of course where you run down a corridor in the mansion they without smashing through the windows and you have to kill them or be killed.  Other enemies also include a giant spider (aracnophobics beware!) a giant serpent, biped lizards, known as hunters, with sharp claws who can move fast and jump high, and they can even decapitate you if you're not careful!  And lastly (SPOILER!!!) there is the Tyrant, the ultimate biological weapon, a large humanoid with pale white skin and a big sharp claw, which can do brutal damage.

GRAPHICS 

Getting onto the graphics of the remake, well for their time they were and still are absolutely stunning, as the backdrops look amazing and the character models are superb especially in the remastered HD versions, the game looks better than ever and is easily a generation ahead of itself in terms of visuals and could be compared to games from the PS3/Xbox 360 era.  And everything from the visuals of the interior of the mansion, to the griminess of the underground labs and to the grounds of the mansion, not to mention the character models (which put some of the models in games even after its time to shame!) it all looks top notch.

The only thing is though the movement of your character is still restricted within the static backdrops so when you control the character and they can only move in one way as the camera angle changes at set times in each room.  But for the remake the visual presentation simply could not be better than it is here and even by today's standards, this is one mighty fine looking video game even if it appears to only run at 30fps, which is a bit of a shame as that is another of the few drawbacks of the presentation.

MUSIC 

Moving onto the music score, it was composed by Shusaku Uchiyama and it is quite different from the cheesy 90s synthesizer music (although it did have a charm all of its own!) and in its place we have a very creepy and deeply atmospheric score with some real moments of perfect orchestral terror. And the score is often used really effectively, such as in a scene where your character is in a room and a zombie bursts out of the cupboard! So, overall this is a pretty impressive update of the cheesy yet still classic score from the original game, which is altogether more sinister and intense than the original.

FLAWS 

As for the flaws of the game???  Well yeah OK the remake does it have some issues.

And to start off, it has to be said the static movement in the game is what prevents Resident Evil from being a truly interactive experience.  And as I previously mentioned the characters can't really interact with their environment given the pre-rendered backdrops, as you move down a hallway the camera statically cuts between different sections of a room as you go. The movement of the characters in the remake are also rather sluggish as they run fairly slowly around the mansion, the corridors or anywhere else for that matter. Having said that, I'm actually convinced they sped up the movement of the characters in the remastered versions, so in that respect its a lesser problem for the HD versions.

However what is a problem in the remastered version is that I often found myself occasionally fighting against the direction of the controls as making your character run in a straight line can prove challenging. This is especially notable when it changes to another camera angle while your character runs down a corridor, hallway etc, you are forced to press the stick forward or backward to compensate for the new angle, which can disrupt the flow of your character's movement. And on replaying the game for myself again lately, I can still say this is a problem although you do get used to it after a while.

The puzzles in the game can also be a little frustrating at times as well and given the nature of the game you have a lot of running back and forth to do to pick up different things, such as keys, emblems or other items to help you basically unlock new rooms and access other areas. The storage rooms can also be a bit annoying as well, given that you can only hold so many items at once, and you can't ditch an item, you have to keep it until you reach the storeroom and you have to swap out an item rather than just ditch it, which thankfully in later games you could do instead. And further to this, in the prequel game, Resident Evil 0, they improved the storage system by letting characters just drop items anywhere and pick them up again as they see fit.  

I also have to say while it was a staple of the earlier games in the series, the ink ribbon save system does feel pretty outdated as well (although it was brought back for the Resident Evil 2 remake) as it forces you to be pretty economical with your game saves throughout. So, this also will force you to try and make sure you are in a good place with your items and progress before you choose to save your game again. Still, this was in the original game, so I can see why they would keep it in here as well and there are reasonable amount of ribbons to found throughout the game.

Another problem for me with the remake is the voice acting, which don't get me wrong, is an improvement over the laughable performances of the original but they still do sound a bit wooden (although the voice actor of Barry is probably the best here). However it still brings to mind some of the hilariously bad dialogue of the original such as in the cutscene where Barry gives Jill a lockpick and he says to her "And Jill, here is a lockpick.  It might be handy if you, the master of unlocking, take it with you" and after Barry saves Jill from being crushed in a room with a collapsing roof and saying to her "You were almost a Jill sandwich!".

Anyway, so that's it for the flaws.

SUM UP

So to sum up, Resident Evil the remake is still a superb game and it builds on the original as its far more creepy and scary as well and the graphics for the game are also first class. Also now given that the Nintendo Gamecube, Wii and Wii-U are now discontinued, its great that the game was remastered for the Xbox 360/One/PS3 & PS4 consoles to allow gamers new to the remake to experience it as well. And despite any of its limitations in terms of its movement, save and inventory systems, Resident Evil remake is still a must for any horror game fan 21 years on from its release.

And I will rate Resident Evil:

9.5 out of 10  

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

Till then its bye for now...groan...creek...shuffle! (OK that's enough!).