Taking over the YouTube community with the debut episode of The Flickering Myth Movie Show just wasn’t enough for us here at FMHQ (which is like The Baxter Building meets Avengers Tower and the Batcave). So, with that in mind, we’re launching the first issue of Flickering Myth Magazine. This first edition of our new quarterly magazine is, of course, our big summer preview special. 2015 has a great chance of being one of the biggest years of cinema in recent memory. Whether you are excited to see Captain America throw down with Ultron, Terminator beating up another Terminator or Tom Cruise clinging on to the side of a plane, there is so much to look forward to. First up, we have Flickering Myth founder and editor-in-chief Gary Collinson looking at Avengers: Age of Ultron as well as the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and then we have Senior Staff Writer Scott J. Davis’ retrospective of The Terminator franchise to get in the mood for Terminator: Genisys/Terminator: Mega Drive.
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We also have Amy Richau looking at the history of the Jurassic Park franchise before Chris Pratt walks in with his buff arms to run rough shot with dinos in Jurassic World and Tom Cruise superfan Rohan Morbey gives a balanced view of Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation. Not only that, but Helen Murdoch gets pumped for Ant-Man and Edward Gardiner goes all Hollywood with a look at the Entourage movie.
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And Anghus Houvouras shows why you should be excited for The Fantastic Four. Yes, we’re serious. And lastly, we have two video game previews for your eyes with Kris Wall looking at Batman: Arkham Knight and Ben Rayner previewing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. What a stacked first issue! Let’s get this party started! *pulls party popper* Luke Owen 2
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AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON “I was designed to save the world. People would look to the sky, and see hope... I’ll take that from them first.” There’s little doubt that - on paper, at least - 2015 is shaping up to be one of the biggest years in memory when it comes to blockbuster cinema, with the likes of Mad Max: Fury Road, Tomorrowland, San Andreas, Jurassic World, Terminator: Genisys, Ant-Man, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, The Fantastic Four and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. are all set to grace the big screen over the next few months. But before then Marvel Studios will kick-start the summer movie season in April (or early May, for those in the States) with what is perhaps the most anticipated of all the summer releases, as Joss Whedon reassembles Earth’s Mightiest Heroes for Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Age of Ultron. It’s fair to say there’s a lot of anticipation for The Avengers’ second feature. Not only is it the follow-up to the third-highest grossing movie of all time, but it also comes on the heels of a hugely successful Phase Two for the Marvel Cinematic Universe; while Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World met with mixed reactions, Tony Stark’s third solo movie was a monster hit at the box office, and 2014 saw Marvel released two highly-acclaimed
Written and directed Joss Whedon Starring Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, James Spader, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Samuel L. Jackson When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and it is up to the Avengers to stop the villainous Ultron. offerings in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy, both of which sit comfortably above The Avengers in many fans’ rankings of the MCU. So, it’s going to take something special for Avengers: Age of Ultron to live up to expectations, but from what we’ve seen so far, there’s no reason to doubt that Joss Whedon and Marvel Studios will deliver anything short of another superhero spectacular. Avengers: Age of Ultron will pit our heroes against their most deadly foe yet in Ultron (James Spader), an Artificial Intelligence designed by Tony Stark (sorry Hank Pym) to save the world, which by Ultron’s own logic can only be achieved by one method - the total annihilation of mankind. With Ultron hell bent on destroying humanity, it’s up to Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America 5
(Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) to save the day, and presumably redeem Tony Stark in the process - although with Captain America: Civil War on the horizon, that remains to be seen. This being a sequel, The Avengers will find their ranks bolstered by some new blood, with several additions who will be instantly recognisable to fans of the comic book series: after brief cameos in the post-credits scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Godzilla co-stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen will appear as the mutant miracle twins Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch (who we glimpsed briefly in the post-credits scene of The Winter Soldier) and will start out as allies of Ultron before presumably switching their allegiances, while Paul Bettany will juggle his usual role as the voice of J.A.R.V.I.S. with an on-screen appearance as the android superhero The Vision (you may have caught him opening his eyes at the climax of the most recent 6
trailer). As we’ve seen from the trailers, Avengers: Age of Ultron looks to be epic in scope, and certainly not short on action either, with the Avengers launching a full scale attack on the villainous organisation HYDRA and their leader Baron Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann) as well as battling wave after wave of Ultron-bots across the globe as they attempt to prevent Ultron from ushering in his ‘Age’. And naturally there’ll be more conflict between the team too, with Iron Man seemingly at the centre of most of it. The trailers hint at some
drama with both Captain America and Thor, and that’s before we get to what’s likely to be one of the standout moments of the film as Tony Stark dons the Hulkbuster armor to take on an enraged Green Goliath.
Mightiest Heroes. Leaked emails from December’s Sony hack indicated that The Winter Soldier co-directors Anthony and Joe Russo are In addition to the main story, Avengers: Age of Ul- reportedly in line to helm the two-part Avengers: tron promises to delve into the murky backstory of Infinity War, and Whedon has himself stated that the Black Widow, and we can also expect a host of he isn’t overly keen on tackling such an enormous cameos from Marvel regulars such as Rhodey (Don project after investing so much time and enerCheadle), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Peggy Cartgy into the first two films. If so, then it is clear er (Hayley Atwell), Heimdall (Idris Elba) and the that he’s determined to go out with a bang with fan favourite villain Loki (Tom Hiddleston), while Avengers: Age of Ultron, throwing everything there’s been talk that Thanos (Josh Brolin) will make and the kitchen sink into the movie. another appearance as Marvel continues to build to Infinity War. Meanwhile, it wouldn’t be too much of “Avengers: Age of Ultron got larger than the first a stretch to see Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) film” said Whedon, when asked how he intends and/or Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) on topping the 2012 box office behemoth. “I popping up somewhere ahead of their Phase Three didn’t mean for it to get larger, but the climax that solo movies, and hell, we may even get to see SpiI pitched was completely unhinged and nobody der-Man now that Marvel and Sony has reached a said no, so that’s that… To me, adventure film is deal to share the rights to the wall-crawler... the best way to put it. Then science fiction, action, western, war, woman’s picture, horror movie After achieving what many thought impossible by … I’m not kidding; every single one of those bringing together so successfully the various Marvel things is in there.” movie franchises in 2012 , this sequel may be the last time we see Joss Whedon directing Earth’s Gary Collinson 7
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TERMINATOR: GENISYS He said he’d be back, although it seemed unlikey he would be back so many times. Yes, the Austrian Oak / Mr. Universe / Mr. Freeze himself Arnold Schwarzenegger has dusted off the leather jacket and shades for another go-around as the ultimate killing machine, The Terminator, in this summer’s reboot/refresh/reset/re-energise of the muchloved franchise. After 2009’s Terminator Salvation, it seemed that the brand might well have been killed indefinitely. Production problems, a mis-judged script and a questionable choice of director (McG) left many thinking that it was perhaps time to terminate the franchise for good. The Halcyon Company, who made Terminator: Salvation, went bankrupt and by late 2009 and the rights were once again up for grabs. Auctioning off the rights to the highest bidder (Joss Whedon offered $10,000 for them) it was in 2011 that producer Megan Ellison (American Hustle) and her Annapurna Productions won the rights to make a minimum of two Terminator films. In December 2012, the deal was finalised, with Shutter Island scribes Laeta Kalorgridis and Patrick Lussier hired to write the screenplay and Schwarzenegger signed to return to his iconic role.
Directed by Alan Taylor Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, Matt Smith, Jason Clarke, J.K. Simmons, Byung-hun Lee After finding himself in a new time-line, Kyle Reese teams up with John Connor’s mother Sarah and an aging terminator to try and stop the one thing that the future fears, “Judgement Day”. Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World) beat out Rian Johnson (Star Wars: Episode VIII) and Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners) to the director’s chair, while Dawn of the Planet of the Apes star Jason Clarke signed on to play John Connor, followed by Games of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke who would play Sarah Connor, and Jai Courtney (Divergent) as Kyle Reese, the role made famous by Michael Biehn back in 1984. With its July 1st release date now looming large, we got our first taste of the film when the first trailer for the film debuted in December last year. To say the reaction was skeptical was an understatement, and many people’s reaction was the same: Have they just essentially erased two of cinema’s defining science-fiction films? 11
When The Terminator was first released in 1984, many saw it as yet another “down-and-dirty” exploitation film. James Cameron, who had only directed the god-awful Piranha 2 previously, was adamant that he directed the film. It was his baby after all, with the idea coming to the filmmaker during a fever dream whilst sleeping on a friend’s floor suffering from a horrible bout of flu. It was Cameron’s chance to break into the big time, and if nothing else, would allow the filmmaker to make some money (he was broke at the time). William Wisher, future co-writer of T2: Judgement Day and friend of Cameron, said that if the studio had known what the film would turn out to be, “they never would have let Cameron direct it.” He was not wrong. The Terminator could have been a very different film: Lance Henriksen was the first choice to play the role, even turning up to production offices dressed in leather with cling-film in his teeth. Later, O.J. Simpson was tapped to play the lead, but it was Cameron’s meeting with Mr. Universe that tipped that scales. 12
“Well, I’m gonna go have to pick a fight with Arnold” Wisher said when Cameron first met with Schwarzenegger, who was at that time being looked at to play Kyle Reese. When they met however, Arnie had other ideas: he wanted to play The Terminator, which led to a change of heart from Cameron. Henriksen was later cast as police Sergeant Vukovich, while young actress Linda Hamilton had the right mix of vulnerability and strength to play Sarah Connor, the mother of John. Michael Biehn was brought in to play Kyle Reese, the Resistance soldier sent back in time to protect Sarah from the Terminator. A tough shoot from all concerned (which was moved back almost a year to accommodate Schwarzenegger who was contracted to play Conan again first in Conan the Destroyer), the crew had to utilise their ‘Roger Corman-way of thinking’ to complete the film, using every trick they could to finish the film on their small $6.4million budget. Hemdale and Orion, who were distributing the film, put up measly sum for the marketing, but it was the word of mouth that made The Terminator
With no ‘explotation’ in sight, the film was the kind of science-fiction film that helped to redefine the genre once again. No.1 at the box office for two weeks, the initial run of the film garnered almost $80million worldwide, and rightly took its place as one of the 1980’s defining films. A sequel was certain, if not immediate. After it’s success, Schwarzenegger and Cameron went on to have a huge run of success. Cameron would direct Aliens, the superb “aliens vs. soldiers” sequel to Ridley Scott’s Alien, and The Abyss, which while a box-office dud, would leave its finger print of cinema forever more. Schwarzenegger meanwhile had the best run of success of his career: Commando, Raw Deal, Predator, The Running Man, Red Heat, Twins, Total Recall and Kindergarten Cop cemented his place as the biggest star on the planet, with a combined domestic box office of over $500million. Finally, with a $100million budget (the biggest ever back them) and some legal deputes later, Terminator 2: Judgment Day was greenlit. Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton returned for the sequel, joined by Edward Furlong as the now 10-year-old John Connor, and Robert Patrick as the new Terminator, the supremely advanced T-1000, a liquid-metal machine that could morph into anything it touched and create “knives and stabbing weapons” when it needed. Utilising the new technological advances from The Abyss, the final result was a staggering achievement, and became the new “fad” of Hollywood for years to come, bringing CGI technology into the 20th century and beyond. The sequel is still one of the best films of it’s kind ever made, and at the time was unlike anything that had gone before. Despite it’s extremely tight post-production period, the film debuted on July 1st, 1991 to a record-breaking $52million opening weekend, before finishing its run having taken almost $520million worldwide. Once again, The
Terminator had delivered, but ‘as before’, millions wanted another go-around, despite the film’s finale. Legal rights again were the issue behind the 12-year hiatus, as well as James Cameron’s desire to leave the franchise after finishing his story. He flirted with returning, but ultimately the lack of story, as well as his eventful experience making Titanic saw he bow out. Eventually, Mario Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna, who helped produced T2, bought the rights for a cool $7.5million. Schwarzenegger too was unsure about returning, but after Cameron convinced him to get involved for “no less than $30million”, he was back. Jonathan Mostow (U-571) was hired to direct the film, with his college friends John Brancato and Michael Ferris brought in to rework an existing script by Tedi Sarafian. Nick Stahl (In The Bedroom) was cast as the now adult John Connor, with Claire Danes (Homeland) brought in to replace One Tree Hill’s Sophia Bush who was deemed too young to play love-interest Catherine Brewster. Kristanna Loken, a model at the time, was cast as the film’s Terminator “villain”, the T-X, the first female Terminator of the franchise. Budgeted at $170million (or even $200million some say), the highest ever at the time, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines sees Schwarzenegger returning as the T-800 to protect both John Connor and Brewster, both of whom hold the key to preventing Judgment Day from happening, which was merely “postponed” rather than stopped indefinitely in T2. Released on July 2nd, 2003, Terminator 3 opened No.1 in the US with $44million, finishing its run with $433million worldwide, a decent if not spectacular return. It looked like despite their best intentions, the franchise was coming to a close, but interest still remained at large. Eventually, in 2008, the rights were sold to The Halcyon Company, and they immediately set about creating a fourth entry in 13
in the franchise. Set this time around the future war that was only teased in the previous three films, Terminator Salvation was to be directed by McG (Charlie’s Angels) and in his the earlier drafts of the script, by Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines writers John Brancato and Michael Ferris, John Connor was only a secondary character, and was to have died in the finale. This changed when McG sought out Christian Bale to play Connor, and sought about remodeling the script to push Connor to the forefront again, with script rewrites by Paul Haggis (Crash), Sean Ryan (The Shield) and Jonathan Nolan, who had worked with Bale of The Dark Knight and Batman Begins, and was the on-set writer.
stands on the edge of the proverbial precipice once again. Six years have not helped the franchise’s standing amongst fans, with many believing that despite their love of the characters and the world, it is perhaps one film too many, and serves more as a defibrillator for Schwarzenegger’s dwindling career than anything else. The actor, who returned to screen’s in 2013’s The Last Stand after years as Governor of California, has struggled to match his 1980’s heyday, with box office returns for Sabotage and even The Expendables 3 failing. (Escape Plan, while a US flop, garnered over $130million worldwide)
With so many question marks over Terminator: Genysis, the jury is very much out on almost all Sam Worthington, a relative unknown at the time counts: the ‘reset’ storyline seems like it is desperbar his work (which was still ongoing) with James ately clutching at old straws, not to mention that Cameron on the then-upcoming Avatar, was cast Schwarzenegger of 2015 is not match for his 1991 as Marcus Wright, a mysterious stranger who self. In addition, the first glimpses of the film leave a emerges in present-day 2018, and later discovers lot to be desired, with many of the aforementioned he is a “one-of-a-kind” infiltration machine destraws very much clutched in two hands (do we signed by Skynet to kill Connor. In fact, so impor- need another “I’ll be back” line?) tant to the new story was Marcus that the original ending would have seen Connor die but his skin That said, the casting of Emilia Clarke, Jason Clarke grafted onto his “body”, but this was scrapped after and J.K. Simmons is certainly enough to peak the details leaked online during filming. interest, and for all the question marks about his current career trajectory, seeing Schwarzenegger in Leaks became a common thread for Terminator his leather jacket and shades still does raise a smile. Salvation. In July 2008, news broke that Bale had With a new trailer no doubt on the horizon very gone ‘bale-istic’ on the set, coming to blows with soon, and the release date looming large, the “fate” DoP Shane Hulbert. Later, in February 2009, an of the Terminator franchise is once again one of the audio clip of the fight, sent to the film’s insurers for summer’s biggest talking points. evidence in-case Bale walked off set, was leaked on the internet to a wave of both exposure and ridiScott Davis cule. Bale later apologised for his actions, though not before many spoofed the clip, and is by far more entertaining than the film itself. Terminator Salvation failed to live up to the hype and disappointed fans, many of who feel that this is a lesser film than T3. Released on May 21st, 2009 with a somewhat controversial PG-13 rating (like T3), Salvation debuted No.2 at the US box office behind Night at the Museum 2 with a $42million weekend. It faired better overseas, and ended with a disappointing $371million worldwide. And so we come up to date with the franchise, as it 15
JURASSIC WORLD On June 12, 2015 audiences will finally get to see what it’s like to go to a real dinosaur theme park. Yes, the park Richard Hammond has been dreaming about since Jurassic Park debuted in theaters in 1993, is finally open. 22 years after Steven Spielberg’s smash hit Jurassic Park opened in theaters, the fourth film in the series, Jurassic World, is hoping to outperform the original dino film and its two sequels. Jurassic World stars Chris Pratt, Dallas Bryce Howard, and Vincent D’Onofrio and is directed by Colin Trevorrow. The film is set on Isla Island, a small island off the coast of Costa Rica, ten years after a real Jurassic Park theme park has been open to the public. In response to waning ticket sales, the miracle workers at InGen make a genetically altered “new” dinosaur. Cue the “running and screaming” as Jeff Goldblum would say. This new installment in the Jurassic Park series is the first film that is not in any way related to the ideas of Michael Crichton, though The Lost World: Jurassic Park was just as true to its book source as the original film. Jurassic Park III was not based on a Crichton book, but included several scenes directly inspired from the first two books. Even though it has been 14 years since a new
Directed by Colin Trevorrow Starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D’Onofrio, Nick Robinson, Ty Simpkins, BD Wong After 10 years of operation Jurassic World sees visitor rates declining. In order to fulfill a corporate mandate, a new attraction is created to re-spark visitor’s interest, which backfires horribly. Jurassic Park movie has hit theaters, the huge success of the 2013 re-release of Jurassic Park in 3D should serve as proof that audiences are not tired of humans being chased by dinosaurs. The 3D version of Jurassic Park brought in over $45 million just in the United States according to Box Office Mojo. Worldwide the 3D release brought in over $116 million. Not bad for a production that cost the studio only $10 million. With the enormous success of Jurassic Park 3D it’s no surprise that Jurassic World was shot in 3D. What is surprising is the choice of the film’s director, Colin Trevorrow. If you can’t recall a movie you’ve seen that Trevorrow directed it’s probably because you haven’t seen one despite Jurassic World being his fifth directing credit. His previous credits include the 2002 short Home Base, the 19
2004 documentary Reality Show, the 2005 TV Movie Gary: Under Crisis, and the 2012 indie Safety Not Guaranteed. Safety Not Guaranteed starred Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, and Jake Johnson - not exactly A-listers - and earned only a bit over four million dollars at the box office. However, Safety Not Guaranteed didn’t need box office success to change the course of Trevorrow’s career. With a Rotten Tomatoes score of over 90 percent, and an extremely successful festival run, Safety Not Guaranteed was seen and loved by enough Hollywood decision makers to make Trevorrow a hot commodity, even being among the many directors rumored to be in consideration for Star Wars Episode: The Force Awakens. Trevorrow also received a screenwriting credit for Jurassic World along with Derek Connolly who scripted Safety Not Guaranteed. Headlining Jurassic World are Chris Pratt as scientist Owen Grady who observes the behavior of the dinosaurs in the park and and Bryce Dallas Howard as park operations manager Claire Dearing. Other stars of Jurassic World include Judy Greer (no character name listed), Vincent D’Onofrio as head of security for InGen Vic Hoskins, and Jake Johnson as Lowery a tech-savvy employee at the park. Nick Robinson (Zach) and Ty Simpkins (Gray) play the young kids running and screaming from dinosaurs this go-around after Judy Greer’s character sends them on an exciting adventure without her. The kids clearly end up on Isla Island which makes you wonder if they are a relative of one of the park’s employees (such as Claire or Owen). Pratt is familiar to audiences after his role as Star Lord in the 2014 Marvel smash hit Guardians of the Galaxy and he also voiced the lead character Emmet in The Lego Movie, as well as appearing in the US television show Parks & Recreation for it’s seven season run. Pratt has recently mentioned in interviews that he has been a Jurassic fan since the original film. He described Owen Grady to MTV as a mixture of 20
Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum’s characters from the original film. “He’s got a little of both,” Pratt said about his role in Jurassic World. “He’s got a little bit of the Goldblum cynicism, but also the Sam Neill excitement and the wonder of the biology of it all.” Bryce Dallas Howard is also no stranger to big budget summer films. Howard played Gwen Stacy in 2007’s Spider-Man 3, Kate Connor in 2009’s Terminator Salvation, and Victoria in two of the Twilight vampire movies. Howard has nothing but praise for her co-star. She recently told Bustle that Pratt was, “a treasure in every sense of the word.” In the same interview Howard remarked how she almost couldn’t believe how lucky she was to star in the film. “Jurassic Park is so iconic and getting to be a part of that in any way is astonishing,” she said. While Pratt’s character appears to be the clear-thinking hero of the film Howard’s character appears to go through a much greater story arc. In the trailer Howard starts off as a heavily made up
business woman in fancy suits and perfectly coiffed hair. By the end of the trailer is in a tank top with no makeup and disheveled hair, looking like she’s in the fight of her life. Think Ripley, but with dinosaurs instead of aliens. In a nod to the 1993 original Jurassic Park film BD Wong reprises his role as InGen scientist Henry Wu. In fact it appears that Wu’s character is at least partially responsible for the creation of the newly created dinosaur. In order to enjoy other nods to the past in Jurassic World, it’s important to take a look back at what happened in the first three Jurassic Park films. In the original film a group of scientists were brought to Isla Nublar by Richard Hammond, who had financed a lab, InGen, which took prehistoric DNA from mosquitoes trapped in amber to genetically reproduce dinosaurs. All hell broke loose when the security system went down and the dinosaurs escaped from their enclosures. Jurassic Park was directed by Steven Spielberg and starred Sam Neill as Dr. Allen Grant, Laura Dern as fellow paleontologist Dr. Ellie Sattler, Jeff Goldblum as mathematician Dr. Ian Malcolm, and Richard Attenborough as Jurassic Park founder Richard Hammond.
the dinosaurs in their natural habitat, but complicating matters is Pete Postlethwaite’s character, Roland Tembo, whose goal is to capture and transport dinosaurs to a theme park in San Diego. Jurassic Park III was executive produced by Spielberg, but directed by Joe Johnson. In the third Jurassic Park installment Sam Neill returns as Dr. Alan Grant who comes to Isla Sorna to help find a couple’s missing son. Not surprisingly the dinosaurs on the island cause all kinds of problems for the trio. Jurassic Park III also starred William H. Macy and Tea Leoni.
In all three previous Jurassic Park movies the most threatening dinosaurs are the velociraptors. Small, It’s sequel, The Lost World: fast, and extremely smart Jurassic Park, was also dipack hunters who stalk their rected by Steven Spielberg and prey (in many cases those pesky starred Jeff Goldblum, Julianne humans). One big difference in Moore, Vince Vaughn, Richard Jurassic World is that the velociraptors Attenborough, and Pete Postlethwaite. In The Lost World dinosaurs are living free on Isla appear to be working with the humans rather than Sorna, a neighboring island to Isla Nublar shown hunting them. in Jurassic Park. Hammond brings Goldblum’s Dr. The Jurassic World trailers show Pratt’s character Ian Malcolm onto the island to try and study the 21
The parallels between the park in Jurassic Park and modern theme parks such as Disney World and Seaworld are obvious. This especially holds true in The dinosaur who does wreak havoc in Jurassic the scene where a giddy audience gets splashed after World is fittingly a brand new dinosaur to the Juras- a giant sea dinosaur leaps out of the water on cue just sic Park trilogy. In fact it’s a brand new dinosaur in like the killer whales do in Seaworld. every sense of the word. This new dinosaur is named Indominus Rex and is described as being “bigger, Jurassic World is just one of dozens of derivative louder, with more teeth” and there are rumors this works spawned from the original film. These works dinosaur has special camouflaging skills. Clearly the include comic books, video games, and, ironically dinosaur is causing trouble as Pratt’s character men- enough, theme park rides. Both Topps Comics and tions in the trailer that “it’s killing for sport” as we IDW Comics released Jurassic Park comics from see an image of a wounded dinosaur. 1993-2012. Similarly between 1993 and 2012 several video games based on the movies were released on The creation of a new genetically modified dinoa variety of gaming platforms and mobile devices. A saur to draw in more tourists continues the Jurassic new LEGO Jurassic Park game is being released this Park movies underlying storyline of greed. There are June. always characters who want to cash in on the dinosaurs, even if their profit endangers others. Jurassic Universal has fully embraced adding Jurassic Park World is no different as InGen is told by its owners to theming to their popular theme parks. There are four step up their game to make a splash with customers Universal parks that have Jurassic Park rides around and think about the consequences later. As Pratt’s the world. In Universal’s Island of Adventure theme character says in the trailer, “You just went and made park there is even a Jurassic Park section with five a new dinosaur? Probably not a good idea.” separate attractions. interacting with the raptors and leading them on a chase.
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If you can’t wait until June 12th to get your Jurassic fill head over to the official Jurassic World website. The site is so packed with goodies one could spend from now until June 12th and probably not discover everything. Among the different areas of the site are a park map, information about Jurassic Park founder John Hammond, an inside look at InGen, park webcam, and an intricate ‘Plan Your Visit’ section. In ‘Plan Your Visit’ you can see previews of attractions at Jurassic World, see menus for restaurants at the park, and book travel packages. Spoiler alert: if you attempt to book a vacation package you’ll end up at ticket buying website Fandango’s Jurassic World web page. The official website’s ‘Dinosaurs’ page is also your best place to find information about what to expect from the new dinosaur on the block Indominus Rex. According to the website, which reads as if it is coming from employees at the theme park, “We set out to make Indominus the most fearsome dinosaur ever to be displayed at Jurassic World. The genetic engineers at our Hammond Creation Lab have more than delivered.” The description goes on to say that Indominus resembles a T. Rex, has a roar that reaches 140-160 db and can reach speeds of 30mph “while confined to its enclosure.” There will be a lot of pressure for Jurassic World to succeed this summer. No sequel has ever been able to match the original partially because the dinosaurs in the film were the first true-to-life CG characters most viewers had ever seen. With the lure of advanced visual effects and 3D, Jurassic World seems certain to have a huge opening weekend. If the characters are as fully formed and appealing as those in the original Jurassic Park, Jurassic World could be the hit of the summer. Amy Richau 23
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NATION On July 31st it’s time to light the fuse again... It’s Mission: Impossible – Rouge Nation. Everything about this fifth entry into the billion dollar series is a reason to get in line (or go online as the case may be these days) to secure your ticket on opening day and the underlining element here is consistency. Tom Cruise as star and producer has taken the idea of turning a TV show into a series of big screen extravaganzas in the way so many have failed in their attempts: The Saint, The A-Team, Lost In Space, I Spy, The Flintstones were all geared up for multiple entries if those who made the first film had taken the time to pay more than just lip service to the shows they were based on. With the four Mission: Impossible films released to date, Cruise has given audiences something new every time - never churning out carbon copies to make a quick buck and this fifth film appears to continue that trend. Although very little is being known about the film (despite the teaser trailer dropping recently), all we need go on is the pedigree of the players involved and look back at previous films knowing one thing – we’re going to see something new because Cruise is not interested in anything else but pushing the envelope. In 1996 he recruited technical genius Brian De Palma to make the director’s biggest
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie Starring Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Alec Baldwin, Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate - an International rogue organization as highly skilled as they are, committed to destroying the IMF. film by quite some margin (and Paramount’s most expensive film ever at the time) and he gave us a complex, mature and serious thriller mixed with James Bond-style gadgets, locations, and special effects from ILM which still looks stunning to this day. De Palma surprised everyone by making a summer tentpole picture but sticking to his style and his signature vision to create a blockbuster unlike anything else audiences had seen before in the digital effects era. In the late ‘90s there was only one name on everyone’s mind when it came to high octane thrills – Hong Kong action master John Woo. His bullets-and-ballet opus Face/Off changed the landscape of the action genre (which would be heightened yet again two years later by The Wachowskis and green screen) and the inevitable sequel 27
(the first film was the third highest earner of 1996 after Independence Day and Twister) went to Woo for a very different take compared to De Palma’s work. The film ended up being a far lesser polished piece of film making than its predecessor (and Woo took too many liberties with Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious), but where M:I-2 succeeds is when Woo delivers his trademark action; and the final 25 minutes was some of the most exciting action scenes in 2000. The use of slow motion was unmistakably trademark Woo and the film is certainly very cool on a purely aesthetic surface level and it looked like no other summer blockbuster of the year – and a blockbuster is it was, too, for it ended up being the number one film at the worldwide box office.
jaw-droppingly awesome action scenes with the drone attack on the Chesapeake Bay bridge, but it was Brad Bird’s film which set a new high for the action genre; a high which no other film has reached in the four years since it was released - and the single reason why anyone should be excited for Mission: Impossible – Rouge Nation. You know Cruise and co. must have something in store to at least match it, if not even top it. The reference is of course Where the imminent release of the fifth film is perhaps more in line with the third and fourth pic- to the Dubai sequence, and especially the scaling of tures come with Cruise’s decision to take chances the Burj Khalifa where Tom Cruise was suspended by a single wire 830 metres from the ground below; on directors J.J Abrams and Brad Bird. Mission: the question on every fan’s mind is now ‘how can Impossible III marked the feature film debut for they match this’? Abrams who has since jumped from franchise to franchise, just as Mission: Impossible – Ghost The reason why the scene worked so well is in no Protocol was the live action debut for Bird after proving his eye for action with Pixar’s The Incredi- small part thanks to Brad Bird’s cartoon background and his sensibility for good humour; it was quite bles. The third film featured one of the most 28
simply unlike any set piece in action movie history. With the fifth entry Cruise has chosen his regular screenwriting contributor Christopher McQuarrie to take over the mantle and the slate is once again clean for him to work on. The beauty of the Mission: Impossible series is that, like James Bond, the audience just wants a new adventure every time without the baggage of needing to bring in characters and timelines and back story from other films or other film series. This also allows McQuarrie to bring his own style to the film without needing to worry about meeting prerequisites, and he can meet the threshold set by the previous films in any way he sees fit. McQuarrie directed Cruise in the superb 70s style thriller Jack Reacher which gives us some idea of the quality we can expect – and that is very high indeed. Joining them from that team is Joe Kraemer to score the film (his Jack Reacher score was terrific and highly underappreciated) and Director of Photography Robert Elswit is back, which is a major plus for he is one of the very best in his craft working today. The film was shot in London, Morocco and Vienna, so all of the global trotting and set pieces appear to be in check with the first teaser trailer showing an impossibly amazing shot of a plane taking off with
Cruise strapped to the side. No stunt man, no green screen and 100% real, this is the reason why this fifth film will set itself apart from all the rest in 2015. Compare this to the idiocy of the recent Fast & Furious 7 footage and the difference in action direction is clear. We also know Ving Rhames returns for the fifth time, as does Simon Pegg for comic relief and Jeremy Renner who was once thought to be taking over the series from Cruise when he rose to brief popularity back in 2009. This suggests the team-based missions which the TV show made its name on are yet again the focus which worked really well in the third and fourth films, so there is every reason to expect the magic will return yet again this time around. Mission: Impossible – Rouge Nation looks to be the final big budget series dedicated to keeping it real (or as real as possible) and will surely offer pure action lovers the thrills they simply cannot get anywhere else this summer. It’s the reason why the series is still going strong 19 years on, and the reason why Cruise remains the biggest star in Hollywood, no matter what his critics may want to say. Rohan Morbey 29
ENTOURAGE “Lloooooyd!” This can only mean one thing: we’re back, baby. After eight years of storming out of marriage counselling sessions, screaming at everyone in sight (mainly Lloyd) and frantically navigating LA in search of studio heads to land Vincent Chase a part, get ready to see Ari Gold return with the biggest deal of all - a big screen debut for one of HBO’s best shows. With Fargo, Scream, Psycho, From Dusk Till Dawn, Rush Hour, Shutter Island, Westworld, Underworld, Friday The 13th, The Devil’s Advocate and Shooter making up but a few of the slew of movies that have been or are currently making their way to TV, the Entourage movie will be a slight departure from Hollywood’s latest infatuation (which is arguably just another avenue for their remake/reboot framework). It seems like barely a day goes by without news of yet another film-based TV series being developed, so it’s now something of a surprise when it goes the other way. What used to be the norm is suddenly the exception; 21 Jump Street, The A-Team, Mission: Impossible and the upcoming 24 currently stand out as the biggest films to have made the leap from TV roots - but is it time for Vince, E, Turtle, Drama and Ari to take the big screen by storm?
Written and directed by Doug Ellin Starring Jeremy Piven, Adrian Grenier, Jerry Ferrara, Kevin Connolly, Rex Lee, Haley Joel Osment, Billy Bob Thornton The popular TV show makes it way to the big screen as film star Vince Chase and his cronies take on Hollywood.
The answer is an emphatic yes, but the question of whether Entourage’s big screen debut will be a hit or a miss - an Aquaman or a Medellin, if you will - is difficult to answer. The problem it may face, on some shores, is anonymity. It simply isn’t a big show like the behemoth Game Of Thrones or Breaking Bad; and even in its native America it doesn’t come close to the distinguished acclaim of those shows or several others. If either Game Of Thrones or Breaking Bad had a film coming out in cinemas you can bet ticket sales would smash through the roof (there are, for that matter, inklings of Game Of Thrones making that leap to film, but that’s for another time and place). Entourage, on the other hand, is something of a dark horse. Comparatively few people watch it, yet for eight years it quietly toiled away gathering momentum and acclaim, which has ended up 31
propelling it to the dazzling heights of movieland. Created by Doug Ellin and co-developed by Mark Wahlberg (and loosely based on his early years in LA as an aspiring actor), Entourage follows the trials of global movie star Vincent Chase and his eponymous entourage of his best friend/manager Eric “E” Murphy, brother Johnny “Drama” Chase, friend Turtle and agent Ari Gold (who, incidentally, is one of the greatest TV characters of all time - see him fire an office full of employees with a super soaker for proof). Spanning eight seasons, one of the great things the show does, beyond being entertaining, funny and packed with brilliant cameos, is subvert the general perception of Hollywood. There’s a tendency for those of us outside the ring to look in with longing at the glamour and glitz of these stars we idolize and admire, yet Entourage chronicles both the ups and downs of the Hollywood system, glamorising the lavish lives of movie stars in the sun-lathered capital of the film world while also highlighting the backstabbing and money-grabbing we don’t hear about in the news. It’s this diversity that’s given the show such acclaim and longevity, and, ultimately, this upcoming movie; after all, with such a potentially leery subject matter it would be all too easy to create something utterly shallow with far too much style over substance. Entourage is a big party at times, but it knows when to cool off.
Each season generally focusses on Vince chasing (no pun intended) after one particular movie with some blips and false horizons along the way. One episode might solely involve Vince and E meeting potential financiers, another might see them jetting off to Vegas or driving into the desert to take mushrooms and find answers. It’s okay to be greedy and feel that one film won’t be enough to cram in every brilliant Turtle and Drama side quest or Ari counselling session. On the other hand, perhaps the From Dusk Till Dawn example actually bodes well for the Entourage movie; it shows that ten minutes of clever, exciting drama can be much better than an elongated hour.
But what do we actually know about it? Who’s going to be in it? What are the boys going to be up to? Of course, as with any TV series making the jump Will Seth Green return to harass E and Sloan? The to film, there always needs to be a solution to the array of cameos, of which there no doubt will be, narrative compression problem. Going the other have always been the highlight of the show, from direction it’s largely freeing, like writing a novel. Gary Busey to James Cameron to Martin Scorsese, The first episode of From Dusk Till Dawn, for ex- but Green, the Lex Luthor to E’s Clark Kent, has ample, spent an hour retelling the first ten minutes always been one of the very best, unafraid to portray of Robert Rodriguez’s (far superior) film. That’s himself as the slimiest slime-bag in Hollywood as FIFTY extra minutes of drama and exposition. The he relentlessly antagonizes and taunts. Ellin would Entourage movie, on the other hand, will need to do well to bring him back. And don’t despair when figure out a way of expanding the standard thirty Piers Morgan shows up (you can let out a sigh if minute arc of each episode while compressing the you if you must, we will) - Thierry Henry – yes, that series arc of around ten hours of drama into two, Thierry Henry - will make everything better. so where will it begin and end? 31
The trailer also tells us that Ari has secured $100m from Billy Bob Thorton’s financier for Vince to pick up the megaphone and move into directing (“from the producers of Medellin and Aquaman”, it tells us, before revealing a trailer for Vince’s film about street rioting...or something), only to go way over budget and enrage his ever animated agent. Beyond that we don’t know a huge deal. Everyone involved is remaining tight-lipped, as if Christopher Nolan had something to do with it. It’s likely the characters won’t evolve all that much; they’ve already gone through their arcs over the course of eight seasons and there would be little sense in starting them on new ones - at least significant ones - unless a series of films is planned. Having said that, both Mark Wahlberg and Adrian Grenier (Vince) reckon the film is so good that a sequel is already a safe bet. During a press tour for Transformers: Age Of Extinction last summer, Wahlberg admitted to liking the film so much that June 2015 was too long to wait and he wanted to pull the release forward. “If I was a betting man,” Grenier also told Larry King when asked about the possibility of a sequel, “I’d say yes. I’d put it all down”. Entourage is perhaps destined to be lost but not forgotten this summer amidst the blockbusting Avengers, Terminators, dinosaurs and everything in between. To be fair, what would really have a
chance against such heavily anticipated sequels? Of course on the one hand, with a fairly modest budget of $30m, it’s not crazy to predict that it might just turn a decent profit. Yet on the other, failing to break the box office won’t be the end of the world. Even if it doesn’t make a lot of money, it’s likely to make a lot of friends - on the evidence at hand it looks every bit as good as the show, if not even better. In Grenier’s words, “The risks are larger and the reward is ever greater”. Only June 5th will tell. Edward Gardiner 32
ANT-MAN With the end of Marvel’s Phase 2 fast approaching, Marvel have chosen Ant-Man to close a series of films that has included Thor: The Dark World, Iron Man 3, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy and the upcoming Avengers: Age of UItron. A lesser known super hero, Ant-Man really is the little guy of the Marvel universe. Directed by Peyton Reed and starring Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll, and Evangeline Lily, the origin story of this superhero is going to be a little different from what we’ve seen before as well as being different from the comic book. Petty crook Scott Lang (Rudd) decides to steal from an elderly recluse, not knowing that his mark is inventor Hank Pym (Douglas); what ensues is an adventure as the superhero Ant-Man is born. Stuck in development hell for years and a pet project of Edgar Wright’s for nearly a decade, it looked promising when Wright (Scott Pilgrim vs the World) was given the go ahead by Marvel to bring his vision to life and to take charge of closing Phase 2. The initial test footage promised much, but then came the news that Wright had departed due to creative differences with Marvel. Whilst this didn’t mark a death note for Ant-Man, it did worry a fair few people who were concerned that a safer
Directed by Peyton Reed Starring Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll, Evangeline Lilly, Bob Cannavale, Michael Pena, John Slattery, Judy Greer, Hayley Atwell Armed with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, con-man Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym. director like Peyton Reed (Yes Man), might not have the same visual panache of Wright – and then the trailer landed and you know what, it looked pretty damn good. With the dulcet tones of Michael Douglas narrating the trailer, we were treated to a much more serious story then many were expecting. We’re introduced to our hero Scott Lang, a criminal trying to make it straight, given a second chance to redeem himself and become “The Ant-Man”. There is much to admire in the trailer – the effects look excellent, Douglas seems on top form as mentor Pym and there’s not much revealed at this stage. Although not action packed, the trailer does promise a host of different characters from Hope Van Dyne (Lily) to Darren Cross (Stoll), whilst doing what Marvel always does best – which is to 35
show us barely anything. We know that this is a dangerous tale of redemption, but there are hints of humour in the trailer that are essential when portraying such a seemingly preposterous character such as Ant-Man. Although it’s odd that Ant-Man is considered such an odd and silly character, considering the fact that he exists in a world where God’s are real and Hulks exist. Rudd is an excellent choice to play a superhero. Usually associated with comedic roles or “Phoebe’s husband from Friends”, Rudd has proven again and again that he can take on weightier material. He has a solid comedy career but he has mixed this with more heavy weight performances such as the sublime Prince Avalanche. Rudd has committed to the role, with his suit having to be remade because he’s become so muscled from training, and from the trailer it seems that he is still adding in the humour that we expect from him, but he’s also rebranding himself as an action star who can hold his own. Hiring Rudd is a risk by Marvel, but then again so was casting Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man and that turned out pretty well. Taking a risk on Rudd is one of the bravest things Marvel has done in a while and his blend of comic timing and quality acting chops should make Ant-Man a great closer for Phase 2 and a hint of what Phase 3 might bring. When thinking about the possible pitfalls of AntMan, it occurs that Marvel have yet to make a truly bad film. True there were issues with the first Captain America and the less said about Iron Man 2 the better, but nevertheless, their films are always entertaining and have a perfect blend of comedy, action and drama. There last gamble was the superb Guardians of the Galaxy, so despite its issues, Ant-Man should still have the same level of care that all the other films have received. The exciting factor is the melting pot of actors that have been thrown together. Michael Douglas joining the Marvel world is something new and intriguing that many people can’t wait to see. He is an actor of such distinct calibre that it will be interesting to see him take on the superhero world. In a way it seems that a lot of actors want to get involved with this world. Robert Redford joined 36
Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Samuel L Jackson took on the role of Nick Fury – both seasoned actors with already impressive careers. It seems as if working with Marvel is something that people want to get involved with on any level – and that gives me hope for Ant Man to deliver on its promises. As with all hotly anticipated films, the rumour mill is circling about who the villain of Ant-Man will be, but it was finally confirmed by Corey Stoll himself that will be playing Yellowjacket. Stoll has proven himself as a capable supporting actor and has recently made an impact on the small screen in The Strain. With Stoll as the main villain in Ant-Man, then there’s definitely a shake-up happening at Marvel and it seems that after the success of Guardians of the
Galaxy, they’re happy to look at riskier options. He’s not the traditional choice that you would expect, but he does have a certain charisma that will fit well into the Marvel Universe.
and although the suit has changed a little, it does seem that there is still an essence of Wright’s original vision routed in the style of the film.
Whilst Avengers: Age of Ultron might be the film that everyone is talking about, Ant-Man is a lesser known character that seems to be for the fans With Phase 3’s films confirmed as Captain Amerrather than the masses. He’s not a well-known ica: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the character, the premise of him is slightly silly and Galaxy 2, Spider-Man, Thor: Ragnarok, Avengwe don’t know until the release date whether this ers: Infinity War Part 1, Black Panther, Captain film will soar like Guardians of the Galaxy or Marvel, Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 and The crash and burn. What is certain is that it represents Inhumans – there’s a lot riding on Ant-Man to make sure that Marvel’s winning formula keeps on a new aspect of Marvel. Ant-Man seems to be the indie film of the bunch. It’s going to be loud and producing cinema and box office gold. brash and action packed, but its trailer, synopsis etc. hint at a quieter story that’s routed in character Originally slated as the opened to Phase 3, Antarc rather than explosions. Hopefully the balance Man was instead chosen to round off Phase 2. A can be found by director Reed and he proves that move that some found strange, most notably because Ant-Man isn’t a household superhero name, he can do more than just your average rom-com. Although it would have been wonderful to see and also because it’s a tough sell to cinemagoers. We’re happy to see Iron Man save cities and Thor to Wright’s vision on the screen, what we’ve seen so far of Ant-Man is a film that is pushing boundaries, call down thunder, but could the idea of a superhero that shrinks to the size of an Ant really work? and setting Marvel up for yet more success. From the trailer it seems that yes it does work – and it works well. The visual styling looks impresive Helen Murdoch 37
THE FANTASTIC FOUR It’s the most anticipated comic book movie of the Summer. A four quadrant crowd pleaser that is set to break box office records and reign as a shining example of just how to turn Marvel’s favorite team of superheroes into a billion dollar franchise with a license to print money. And that movie is Avengers: Age of Ultron. Then there’s the other Marvel Super-Team movie coming out this summer: the widely criticized reboot of a comic book franchise that has already been adapted into a pair of movies that were, at best, ‘not terrible’. The one with ‘questionable’ casting choices and an unknown director who is hoping to translate the geek cred he amassed with his first film into mainstream success. For the waning franchise, this could be the comeback story of the Summer. The comic book movie that has already been written off by the most vocal fans of the characters and shuttered by the publisher for the first time in decades. The underdog perfectly poised to surprise everyone. This is the new Fantastic Four. We are living in the golden age of comic book cinema. It’s an embarrassment of riches for those of us who have spent a major portion of our lives devoted to the hand drawn antics of our favorite superheroes. Every major and minor character is getting the cinematic treatment with wildly varying
Directed by Josh Trank Starring Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, Michael B. Jordan, Toby Kebbell, Tim Blake Nelson, Reg E. Cathey Four young scientists achieve superhuman abilities through a teleportation experiment gone haywire. They must now use these abilities to save the world from an uprising tyrant. results. While Marvel continues to generate massive hits with their in-house productions, their licensed properties have been something of a mixed bag. Sony and 20th Century Fox have both struggled in recent years to make the most out of there Marvel characters. Daredevil was caught in development hell until the rights reverted. Ghost Rider ran out of gas when the franchise failed to gain traction after a second sequel. Sony has seen diminishing returns after adding ‘Amazing’ to the Spider-Man series. The X-Men had a major breakthrough last year with X-Men: Days of Future Past, proving that there is life (and growth) for the red-headed stepchildren of Marvel. Fantastic Four is another franchise in need of carving out it’s own identity. That’s exactly what the first trailer has done, showing us only the 39
briefest glimpses of this new take on Stan Lee & Jack Kirby’s classic characters and doing a great job of establishing it’s own unique identity. The marketing materials have been more akin to Cronenberg than the usual flash/bang, computer generated, spandex clad orgies of special FX we’re used to seeing. Josh Trank seems to be delivering a lo-fi version of the traditional comic book movie. Conceptually, it makes perfect sense. Chronicle was the analog superhero movie. While the found footage genre was languishing in a sea of mediocrity, Trank found a way to turn the standard origin story into one of the most engaging superhero (and supervillain) films of the 21st century. Chronicle was a film that proved character is more important than concept and that there were still unexplored corners of the superhero world to explore. His hiring for The Fantastic Four wasn’t just providence, but an inspired choice in a cluttered marketplace where being based on a popular comic character doesn’t do much to separate you from the herd. 40
The production quickly became mired in controversy over the casting of actor Michael B Jordan (Fruitvale Station) as Johnny Storm aka The Human Torch. A very vocal minority began protesting the role being given to Jordan. Some cited the fact that character’s caucasian roots were being overlooked. That casting a black actor in the role was a deviation from the source material. At best, these protests were the misguided ramblings of passionate fans. At their worst, a collection of the ignorant, misguided, and a showcase of the lack of diversity among ‘Earth’s Mightiest Mortals’. To their credit, star Michael B Jordan and Josh Trank navigated the potential conflict with class focusing on the
the casting of Marvel’s most iconic villain: Doctor Doom. Based on what we’ve and heard thus far, Doom is going to be far removed from the borders of Latveria and his trademark suit of armor. Actor Toby Kebbell (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) made a statement that practically broke the internet in half: “He’s Victor Domashev, not Victor von Doom in our story. And I’m sure I’ll be sent to jail for telling you that. The Doom in ours—I’m a programmer. Very antisocial programmer. And on blogging sites I’m ‘Doom.’” (Collider. November 2014)
importance of getting the character right rather than obsessively adapting the comic. The rest of the cast was assembled with little fanfare or fervor. Miles Teller, Kate Mara, and Jamie Bell arrived leaving fans and entertainment writers wondering where the marquee name was. This was an untraditional cast in various stages of their career. Miles Teller was brought in to play a younger, hipper version of Reed Richards, but this was before the revelatory cinematic experience of Whiplash. Kate Mara had caught fire in the Netflix series of House of Cards. This is a cast that seems far more dynamic today as the film begins it’s final marketing push before heading into cinemas this August. The other major point of contention from fans is
So Doom has gone from King of an Eastern European nation, super scientist, and master of the occult to internet troll. Without context, it’s easy to see how the online fanbase is wondering if there’s anything in this adaptation that can be considered ‘fantastic’. The anticipation around The Fantastic Four seems to be coming from the intangibles, or what we don’t yet know about the film. Unlike other superhero franchise films, 20th Century Fox is playing their hand close to the vest. Other than a handful of grainy photos from set, we know surprisingly little. In an age of unprecedented movie coverage, maintaining secrecy has become all but impossible. Yet here we are, months away from release and we know precious more than the studio has shared. What we do know is that much of the grandiose Science Fiction elements feel toned down with the trailer feeling more akin to the more grounded Ultimate Universe version of the characters. No rockets into space or skyscraper sized villains to take down. This is a film that seems hell bent on separating itself from the other movies in the genre. That might be what makes The Fantastic Four the must see comic book movie of the Summer. Anghus Houvouras 41
BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT They say all good things must come to an end and so it is that Rocksteady’s Arkham series ends draws to its epic conclusion in Batman: Arkham Knight. Arkham Knight begins one year after the events of Arkham City with Batman at the peak of his abilities; an apex predator of the night, the hero that Gotham needs and the one it deserves if we’re being honest. Batman himself however is struggling to come to terms *SPOILER ALERT* with the death of his nemesis, The Joker, and the uneasy realisation that the two of them may have shared a deeper bond than he would probably like to admit. Gotham has never been safer in the wake of The Joker’s death but there are others who don’t seem to agree with this new natural order, chief amongst these is Scarecrow who has returned to Gotham City to unite a rogues gallery all Batman’s enemies like The Penguin, Two-Face, Riddler, Poison Ivy and a vengeful Harley Quinn with just one endgame in mind : To kill the Batman. Using Halloween to set the stage, Scarecrow threatens Gotham with a new strain of his fear toxin, forcing the evacuation of its 6 million citizens, leaving just the criminals behind to overwhelm Commissioner Gordon and the GCPD and forcing The Dark Knight into a deadly final battle for
Gotham against his enemies. Into this fray enters the mysterious Arkham Knight and their private military, the symbolic A of Arkham Asylum emblazoned on their armoured suit and bearing personal vendetta against Batman. Let’s get right into Arkham Knight’s ‘game changing’ addition, The Batmobile. The Batmobile has been glimpsed in previous Arkham games but this is the first time players will actually be able to get behind the wheel of Batman’s iconic vehicle. To accommodate this beast, Rocksteady have redesigned and redeveloped Gotham to ensure the Batmobile is a fully integrated and seemless part of Batman’s arsenal. Gotham is now 5 times bigger than it was in Arkham City with longer, wider and sweeping roads to speed around in the Batmobile, which can be quickly called to Batman’s location with a quick press of L1. 43
It’s the ways that Rocksteady have integrated the Batmobile into Batman’s arsenal that really excite with possibilities though. The Batmobile have two modes of use, Pursuit and Assault. Pursuit allows the Batmobile to engage in high speed chases through the streets of Gotham with the vehicle able to perform speed boosts, jumps, turn on the spot and fire immobilizing missiles. Assault turns the Batmobile into a battle tank that allows full 360 degree movement, strafing and access to a multitude of heavy ordnance such as a Vulcan minigun, a hypervelocity tank busting missile launcher and a non-lethal riot suppressor. The Batmobile’s uses don’t stop there though as it can be used at speed to launch Batman high into the skies over Gotham and then called to his side again when he lands. Early videos even saw Batman able to drop seamlessly from a glide into the waiting Batmobile below, transitioning without a pause, whether this makes it into the 44
main game remains to be seen, but it does look extremely cool. Some enemies will even flee at the sight of the Batmobile, such is the fearsome look of this iconic vehicle and the greater threat that its arrival on the scene heralds. Being fully automated it can also be left in a sentry mode to provide overwatch for Batman as he takes on groups of enemies, with one glimpse of gameplay seeing Batman take down one enemy by launching him into the air only for him to be blasted unconscious by the Batmobile standing on the sidelines. Should enemies try and attack the vehicle they can be immobilised by tasers that cover its armoured hull. It can also be controlled remotely and utilised in solving some of the puzzles in the game, it has a set of tailored Riddler challenges/ trophies and like Batman himself, can be upgraded over the course of the game. As well as being wider and larger, Gotham is also
much taller vertically with Batman able to dive from the balcony of Wayne Towers penthouse to the streets of Gotham far below. From gameplay that has been seen it’s striking just how layered and multi-tiered Gotham now is with Batman gliding, dive-bombing and swooping between monorail tracks, under bridges, over rooftops and high above Gotham’s skyline in one smooth unbroken motion. Rocksteady have completely redeveloped Batman’s gliding capabilities to allow for great control and freedom of movement so Batman can glide for longer, dive steeper and climb higher. The grapnel gun has been redesigned to accommodate the changes too, firing quicker and propelling Batman faster, it can also chain grapples together, instantly switch Batman’s glide direction and immediately string up a tether between buildings for Batman to perch and plan his next move. Combat is still as ruthlessly brutal as it is gracefully balletic and like every other area of Arkham Knight, has undergone redevelopment and tweaking to fit this new world. Batman will be taking on bigger and more varied gangs than ever before and will now be able to counter by throwing enemies into each other for crowd control. Environmental takedowns can be seamlessly integrated into a combo should an enemy be close to a hazard. Batman can now not only disarm his enemies but also use that weapon against them for a few heavier hits before it breaks. A simpler and much welcome change comes from easier access to grates during a fight so Batman can disappear from sight if he’s overwhelmed and then set up multiple takedowns from below. Fear takedowns are the new ace up Batman’s sleeve in Arkham Knight’s new combat system. Fully harnessing and capitalizing on the fear that The Batman symbolises and evokes in the criminals of Gotham city, Batman is able to target unaware enemies and take down up to three of them in a chain, with time slowing down to allow him to pick out
his next target, leaving enemies lying bloodied and broken on the floor before they even know he was there. The fear takedown can’t be used at will though, it requires a three tier energy bar to be filled first (presumably by stealth attacks) so it becomes another balanced part of Batman’s arsenal rather than something players can constantly rely on for an easy time. Rocksteady already nailed the feeling of ‘becoming The Batman’ when they started out with Arkham Asylum and then built their scope and ambition with City. The way both the stealth and combat mechanics combine seamlessly to let you approach situations the way you want to approach them. Want to pick off a large gang from the shadows and skylines one by one, you have all the tools at your disposal to do that. Fancy wading into a gang with your fists, feet and gadgets first, then you have one of the best combat systems seen in a game since God of War, allowing you to become a whirlwind of bone breaking carnage. The feeling of power and control at your fingertips is quite simply incredible, you are Gotham’s protector, you are the world’s greatest detective, you are The Batman and you absolutely and completely feel like it. Batfans will be pleased to see Kevin Conroy returning to voice Batman / Bruce Wayne and even though Mark Hamill sadly retired from Joker duties at the climax of Arkham City, video game heroes Nolan North and Troy Baker will be returning to voice The Penguin and Two Face respectively while Tara Strong will be back in V/O studio for Harley 45
Quinn. Given that this is the finale you can probably expect Rocksteady has withheld the full lineup of villains that will appear to test Batman but The Arkham Knight is an entirely new character for the universe, created by Rocksteady in conjunction with DC writer, Geoff Johns, and artist, Jim Lee. The mystery surrounding the identity of the Arkham Knight has sent forums and message boards into meltdown since his first appearance as fans discuss and debate theories and ideas, with many people believing it to be Jason Todd behind the armour. Whoever it turns out to be, there’s no denying that from what we have already seen, The Arkham Knight is every bit Batman’s equal and will be the most formidable threat The Dark Knight has ever faced. The power of the current generation technology has allowed them to craft and build the most visually stunning Gotham and just looking at it makes it easy to see why it just wouldn’t have been possible to put this out on the older formats. From the lofty heights of Wayne Tower down to the grimiest of alleyways in Gotham’s streets to the staggering level of detailing on Batman’s armoured suit, the level of detail is absolutely breathtaking to behold. Being a Rocksteady game, you can be sure that in keeping with their previous entries in the Arkham series, they’re are going to filling this world with extra details and easter eggs that are
sure to please Batfans that know where to look. The recent news that Batman: Arkham Knight would be given a ‘M’ rating upon release has been met with universal praise from fans, with Rocksteady unwilling to compromise their vision of the finale and with Batman being pushed to his absolute limits not only by his old enemies but by a completely new threat that appears every bit his equal, we’re going to be seeing the darkest (and maybe even the most desperate) version of The Dark Knight that we’ve seen so far. With a completely rebuilt and redesigned Gotham, the inclusion of the Batmobile and a dark and powerful story to bring the trilogy to an epic close, anticipation for Arkham Knight has reached feverish levels and even though that June 23rd release date is so near it still feels so far away. It’s sure to be one of the highlights of 2015. Kris Wall 47
the witcher 3: wild hunt Here at Flickering Myth, we’ve been having a friendly debate around what will be this year’s Game of the Year. With so many fantastic games on the horizon however, especially this summer, it’s gotten messy. While Batman: Arkham Knight and Metal Gear Solid V will put on quite a show, there is also The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which will not only have you living out your wildest Game of Thrones fantasies, it will win your hearts, force you to sing its praises and hail CD Projekt Red for crafting such genius. Now before you all start throwing prostectic arms at the screen, big boss style and screaming ‘crash this plane’ along with all those other brilliant Batman quotes, indulge us. There are many who feel RPGs are niche, which can be true. They did start out that way back in the day, but thanks to the rise of great technology and excellent writers, they’ve slowly become one of the most popular genres around. Thanks in part to the immersive worlds you’re allowed to be a part of. However, there are also those who feel that when you’re playing a game of wandering wizards and sword wielding barbarians, it’s all a little childish.
Of course, there is blood, but where’s the deeper adult contexts that 18+ horrors to contend with? After all, half the planet watches Game of Thrones and longs to be Khalesi. Why isn’t there an RPG with that over the top adult tone? May we present, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Imagine a vast and dense world, where nothing is off limits. Everything you can see, even far off into the distance, you can travel to and get involved with. A sea of people that are looking to rid you of your life or cry out for your help. Demons, werewolves, vampires, dragons and more, all waiting to be slain should you have the power and mental prowess to do so. That, is The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. 49
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the next slice of sword fights, demon slaying and tight leather pants, from the popular RPG series, and if you played any of the previous instalments with their grand ideas but clunky console controls, you’ll be happy to discover that this is the first of the series to have been developed with home consoles in mind. No worries if you missed previous titles though, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is crafted perfectly to allow newcomers to jump straight in whilst losing nothing from the narrative. Which, let’s face it, speaks a lot to the strength of Geralt’s story and CD Projekt Red’s writing team. Focusing on the 13th century hitman, Geralt of Rivia and his friend Vesimir, a mentor of sorts to Geralt and leader of the last remaining Witchers of ‘The School of the Wolf ’. Together you will travel the lands, in search of your long lost love, the Sorceress Yennifer, due to some tense and dramatic nightmares with visions of her death along with the death of their adoptive daughter Ciri. Seeing the demonic ‘Wild Hunt’ plaguing land from the get go means the story manages to feel weighty, as 50
weird as that may sound, and you will quickly become invested in the outcome of Geralt’s destiny. If the story doesn’t grab you by the scruff of your neck, then the visuals will drag you kicking and screaming by your corneas. Not only does it look stunning with glorious vistas, beautiful maidens and detailed faces that look full of expression and beautifully hand sculpted, it actually feels like a living breathing world. Walking through The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is like taking a holiday in your favourite novel, spilled out onto your TV screen. Some of your time will be spent talking to strangers and starting fights in bars, not because the game leaves you with little to do, but because the world is so realistic and awe-inspiring. Much has been said about the size of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and its world map, with many saying it’s hitting the “20% bigger than Skyrim” mark. CD Project Red have been keen to express their core concept had them build a world in which anything you see can in fact be travelled to. And all of this feels true. Every tree, castle, ruin or small
Once you’ve got your tactics sorted, you’ll be well advised to go grazing, picking up specific herbs ready to brew some of those all-important potions. This isn’t a simple ‘stock up on health’ system mind you, if you craft right and craft well you can activate some handy, yet temporary, boosts and buffs to your stats. If you want to be a true master of the hunt, you could also go that extra mile and create oils with which to coat your blade, adding poison or bleeding effects, giving your steel that extra bite or simply strengthen your steel for a time. If you’ve played Monster Hunter on the 3DS, you’ll feel an instant affinity here and no doubt be a quick study.
village can be found and will no doubt contain a plethora of things to do and people to interact with. But it’s not all sightseeing though, the combat is also meaty and satisfying. And while it takes some time to master, its truly worth it. There’s so much to be said for the monster hunting and demon slaying, which requires as much thought and preparation as it does brute force and reflexes. Combat is so tough in places it should come with its own safety posters hung down your street, warning you to “sharpen that blade” or “research that demon’s weaknesses” and “craft some potions before you go bounding in”. Research may sound like the odd one out, but it’s a truly key factor in deciding whether you live to fight another day or simply resign to the position of worm food. You’ll need to discover more about your quarry, from their weaknesses and strengths, to areas of the map they’ll frequent long before you even think of drawing your sword. All of this can be discovered through your personal bestiary, think of it as a poke’dex for the medieval era - or ‘book’ as they were known.
If swords, crossbows, bombs and traps weren’t enough, Glyphs play a huge part in Geralt’s arsenal of moves. These small bursts of magic allow you to fire off blasts of fire and kinetic energy, which unsettles your enemies footing, magical traps to hold them still and even the chance of controlling their mind to set them against their allies. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a complete package. Its world is huge and truly gorgeous, while never leaving you overwhelmed and instead excited and boiling over with fervour to push forward and discover more. With so many demons to slay and so much lore to delve into, it’s the most exciting world to explore since you first laid hands on Skyrim. Character models and facial animations are not only smooth as butter but also a huge accomplishment. The voice acting isn’t always 100% top notch, but there is still some time for the developers to fix these issues. Even then, with the enthralling story and deep combat system there’s just so much to really make up for that little pitfall. Throw in a choice system that feels like it may well deliver on the promises of Fable while ending up deeper and richer than any of the Mass Effect series, Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is on track to be the game of the year. Ben Rayner 51