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Wolverine and the X-Men First Episode Review

Okay, it was bad.

This is the fourth time the X-Men (if you count Pryde of the X-Men) has been incarnated in animated form. Also, this is done by the same people who worked on X-Men Evolution, which, in many ways is the original "First Class."

This is another off-canon version of the X-Men, taking several cues from X-Men Evolution, Astonishing X-Men, and various other versions to make up this animated version. Also, while it is worth noting that most of the same people from Evolution (I liked this version) worked on it, the characters tend to be more ... comical and cartoony, which is pretty odd to say, considering that this is a cartoon based on a comic.

Anatomy is exaggerated, looks are made over, and the costumes are a bit over-the-top with the X's.

As for the story, as Wolverine is about to leave, (most likely due to a fight with Cyclops) an explosion makes Jean and the Professor disappear. (speaking of the comical look --- watch out for Professor Xavier's face just before the explosion) The mansion is in ruins, the X-Men disbanded and Wolverine leaves.

A year later, mutants are hunted by the MRD --- and Wolverine saving a child becomes the catalyst for the conflict, and him rebuilding the X-Men.

This is obviously a way to garner interest for the Wolverine movie of 2009, and is aimed more for the younger crowd. (As if most of you aren't already interested in ol' Logan!)

Although, (like some of you, perhaps) I'm still gonna keep watching (as with other geeks) and I'll let you know if it gets any better.

Did you get to see it? Leave a comment and let us know how you liked it!

batman: arkham asylum game.

If you didn’t know, Batman, being the iconic character that he is, HAS NOT yet received the proper video game treatment. A majority of previous bat-games has been reputed to be horrible examples of video game development. (Batman and Robin, anyone?)

(Don’t believe me? Check out AVGN Batman 1 & Batman part 2)

Mikko just sent me some images from the new Bat-game that’s being developed by Eidos and Rocksteady, entitled Batman: Arkham Asylum. True, graphics are never in any way a promise of good gameplay, but seeing this? It sure looks like their doing right by Batman. Coming to the PS3, XBox360 and PC in 2009.

More screenies here.

Wanted Movie Review

Wanted is a self-help movie. Aside from the not-so-hard-R rating, it's a pretty tame adaptation of the comic.

Aside from the tao chunks (giblets) and the eye-splorching (so maybe just one) --- the movie reminds you that, you may have a shitty job/relationship/life right now, you could always take control.

I won't make comparisons to the comic --- that'd be too easy. Instead, the proper (I guess) thing to do is treat the source and the offspring as two different creatures. The map is not the same as the actual place, after all.

Wesley Gibson is your average joe. He has a job, which he hates, a cheating girlfriend and he pretty much lives for the month, always looking forward to the next paycheck. This part of the film is where you come in --- if you've ever had a Pointy-Haired Boss a la Dilbert, a girlfriend who arouses suspicion, and the payday-blowout-no-money-'til-the-30th, then viewers can relate.

Like a vessel, this multitude of shittiness just piles and piles up, you try to cover it, but it fills, and then it all goes sour when it spills, and you just let loose.

Given a chance for escape is something most people can relate to, and definitely, if someone told you that you could be a bad-ass overnight ... then why the hell not? Which totally sounds like escapist fantasy --- and isn't that what most people has Wanted (see what I did there?) in their life?

The innovation they've introduced, curving bullets, is really just a fancy, visual way of saying that the producers can't kill just EVERYONE in the pursuit of the targets. (Wanted was marketed as a "Hollywood" movie, while having the R-rating, it still didn't want to turn off too many people.)

Ironically, the movie features binary code, which is a symbol for duality, while lacking the reverse-moral absolutism of the comic.

"The Loom of Fate" --- in the words of Justin from PulpSecret, one day, I'll grow up and do all sorts of strange drugs and then go, "I get it." (But then that's not riding with the willing suspension of disbelief.)

For the most part, I DID enjoy the twists --- as a fan of trashy mexican telenovela story lines, it hits the spot, like an enthusiastic hand on the tummy of a relaxed cat.

McAvoy did a really good job as the hopeless loser --- even when he was being trained (that catching the shuttle thing screamed "YEAH!AWESOME!RADICAL!OTHER90'SPHRASES!" to me) --- to the black-leather-sporting-slow-mo-shooting action star.

Hopefully, the movie has generated enough interest in the book, and this version will only make them confused with the Wesley Gibson character, but then again, they had to make him likeable enough that you forgive him in this version. (Again, two separate creatures.)

What strikes me though, is if Fraternity members were all rich, kill-you-any-second assassins, then why do 95% of them not have personalities? The initial introduction and the final confrontation are the only scenes we see them --- and, from the trailer, you probably know that most of them are bullet-fodder. A fraternity of red shirts, if you will.

Much like any self-help book/audiobook --- you realize, (and hopefully you do) that you learn the skills ... so that you could forget 'em. The road to becoming a better you has probably made you something else anyway, and the end-result will be you, wanting different things in life.

The ending is pretty much an "in-your-face-F.U." to the viewers, which I really liked. And as much as I picked on it, I'd have to say, I liked it.

Though I hope the Kick-Ass comic (another Millar book) doesn't stray this far from the source.

(7/10)

See the movie, then grab the trade and grab copies of Kick-Ass while you're at it.

10 Reasons Why The World Needs A Tron Sequel

Okay, so the San Diego Comic Con annually makes us geeks wet our pants. (With excitement, and/or agoraphobia.) However, this year, there was an extra special treat. Wolverine trailer? Psssshaw! --- We all saw that coming! New “trailer/demo/sample-of-thing-here” --- saw that a million miles away. The extra special treat? A sneak peek at the sequel to Tron, known as Tr2n. (Which, really, is a pronunciation nightmare --- ‘ter-2-ron?’)

Here are a couple of reasons we here at robopopjunk came up with to show the world that a sequel to Tron is needed:

1. In the words of a Terran Marine in a certain trailer: “It’s about time.”

2. Jeff Bridges needs to be a good guy again.

3. Tron 2.0 (the video game) can only tide us over for so long! Plus, it’ll be a full 5 years ago since the game was released --- August 26, 2003!

4. It shows a future that isn’t all about chic, sexy, shiny plastic.

5. Because 80’s revivals have the potential to be AWESOME.

6. Because it’ll probably use CG … in a good way.

7. Because you can have your big, monster bikes … and they all still pale in comparison with how a light cycle looks / handles. (90-degree turns, anyone? Quick question, which is better, a light cycle or a Bat-pod?)

8. Because Tron makes frisbees lethal and therefore, awesome.

9. Because we need to be afraid of software again. (MCP, yow!) Then we start to wonder if they have lives while the computer is turned on.

10. Because, in all that we’ve accomplished in the last two decades plus, we can never be as awesome as this guy: (Which isn't a diss at all! Tron guy, you are awesomer than Christmas! Image from his site.)

(P.S. Here's a neat little site that's a lot more updated on everything Tron. Check it!)