Doctor Strange Review

With the release of Captain America: Civil War earlier this year, we are now in phase three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Going through phase three, Marvel will continue what they did with 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy and show off lesser known heroes. One of the newest films for Marvel is of a lesser known hero, whose name is Doctor Strange.

The story follows the journey of Dr. Stephen Strange as, after a car accident, he embarks on a journey to heal his hands. He eventually discovers a monastery in India and learns about, and how to control, magic. Overall, the films plot is mediocre. It serves its purpose as an origin story, but does not go much further. The only thing added is the continuing Marvel Cinematic Universe background story line.

While the story works, my main grip with the film is the characters. Many of the characters don't have depth. Strange, for most of the film, is just a jerk who only cares about himself. One of Strange’s companions, Mordo is flat.He acts one way throughout most of the film, and after a revelation, makes a complete 180 degree personality shift. The main villain, Kaecilius, has the Marvel problem of not being memorable, and is just thrown away at the end. Not all the characters are bad though, as the Ancient One is one of the better characters of the film. She has a depth not seen in the other characters and actually goes through an arc, leading to one of the best scenes of the film.  

Overall the acting is decent. Benedict Cumberbatch works as Dr. Strange, using his best American accent. Tilda Swinton plays the role of The Ancient One very well, bringing a lot of depth. Mads Mikkelsen plays the role of Kaecilius, and is favorable for as long as he is on screen. Supporting characters Wong and Mordo are played by Benedict Wong and Chiwetel Ejiofor respectively and, although Mordo is one-dimensional, they were both also played well.

The visuals in the film are absolutely stunning. The magic in the film is beautifully choreographed and truly looks as if the characters summoned it. One of the pieces of the story, the relics, are also beautiful and look cool, especially the Cloak of Levitation, which has its own standout moment. Then there is the world bending. When Strange enters a place called the “Mirror Dimension”, the landscape can be changed and formed in anyway. This place is where the visuals are truly the greatest. The characters seem to walk on the side of buildings and can even flip the city over into the sky.

Overall, Doctor Strange serves its purpose. It successfully introduces us to the character and their abilities, and sets up conflicts for the future, while adding a little bit to the MCU storyline. The visuals are also stunning and the acting is alright. I just wish the characters would have been better.  

Pirate Pop Plus Review

In the world of indie gaming, one of the most popular subcategories of it is retro style. The games call back to a time when full orchestrated soundtracks weren't possible and the game characters were pixelated instead of full 3D polygons. One recently released, Pirate Pop Plus, calls back to the classic era of gaming, specifically the Gameboy-era, in an interesting, yet simplistic, game play style.

In Pirate Pop Plus, you play as the pirate Pete Jr. who arrives on a small island to find all the residents are trapped in bubbles. He discovers it is the work of the evil Bubble Pirate and he must grab his trusty anchor and pop all the bubbles. This is all the story the game has to offer, only needing to set up a framework for why the characters are doing what they are doing.  

The gameplay consists of Peter Jr. popping bubbles by throwing his anchor into the air. He pops a big bubble (brought out by Bubble Pirate), which breaks into two smaller bubbles, then another two. The main pull of the gameplay is the gravity switching mechanic, in which Bubble Pirate will sometimes appear and switch gravity, causing Pete Jr. and the bubbles to head toward one of the other sides of the screen. The game has a limited story, as mentioned earlier, and is mainly about getting a better high score. There are two game modes: Regular and Hyper. In Hyper mode, the score is doubled, but the player only has one heart. There are many power-ups including a shield, an anchor that separates the bubbles on two opposite sides of a chain, and a BB gun. In addition to power ups, the player also collects coins that can be used to buy many unlockables.

As the game mainly about high scores, a big part of it is the unlockables. There are many unlockables to buy using the coins found in normal gameplay. There are stickers to decorate the fictional handheld console (some even featuring a character from 13 AM's previous game, Runbow). There are also characters to buy such as Satura (who is faster and a guest from Runbow), Dave (who has another life) and Shynut (a coconut with legs). The player can also buy different colors for the handheld, including different button colors, a different color background, and different music for gameplay.

For what Pirate Pop Plus is trying to do, it is successful. It has an interesting gameplay mechanic, which is enough to keep me playing. It might not be everyone's type of game, but for 5 dollars, I would say Pirate Pop Plus is worth it.

The Magnificent Seven Review

This past month the Hollywood remake light has shined onto a western, notably the not very well known, The Magnificent Seven (1960). The original received very little acclaim when it was originally released in the United States. Is a western fit for a triumphant return to cinemas, or is it best left in the dust?

The Magnificent Seven follows Emma Cullen, as she seeks people who can help her free her town from the robber baron, Bartholomew Bogue. Early on she meets Sam Chisolm, a black bounty hunter who has a vendetta against Bogue. They go on to recruit six more members including, Josh Faraday, Goodnight Robicheaux, Jack Horne, Billy Rocks, Vasquez, and Red Harvest. The seven band together to protect the town of Rose Creek. The plot, although good is very basic.

The main star of the ensemble is Denzel Washington as Sam Chisolm. Of all the characters, Chisolm is given the most screen time and the most backstory. Also a big player is Chris Pratt as Josh Fairday, a gambler who brings much of the murmur to the film. Also part of the surprisingly diverse cast are Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, Byung-hun Lee, Martin Sensmeier, Haley Bennett, and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo. All the actors are great, playing into their roles and making the audience care about the characters, with a special mention to Vincent D'Onofrio, as the most loveable axe-wielder ever, Jack Horne.

This film is very action-packed. As the film amps up and the climactic battle is reached, it starts guns-ablazing and doesn't stop for a while. The fight is very well choreographed and works well with some special effect explosions. Even though it came out in the fall, it has a very “summer blockbuster” feel to it.

The Magnificent Seven is pretty good. Although the plot is very basic, it works for the film. The characters are well acted and the action is top-notch. If you are just looking for a good action movie at the movies, you can't go wrong with The Magnificent Seven.

Rating 4.25/5