REVIEWS

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Venom: Let There Be Carnage

If you are looking for a low key date outing and an easy Friday night, you should go and check out Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Like all recent Marvel related movies, Venom has great CGI and action. The plot might be a little confusing for those who have yet to see the first movie, so go check that out first.

The movie follows the continued adventures of Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and the alien symbiote Venom as they figure out living together and battling the titular Carnage. The movie jumps genres, mixing action and horror with some great body comedy. Frankly, its more of a buddy comedy movie with an Alien serial killer in the background then it is a superhero movie.

The movie is a fun thrill ride that ultimately falls flat, as its short run time focuses more on setting up two sequel movies then delivering a fleshed-out story. Despite that shortcoming, I definitely had some great laughs and saw some very cool CGI.

Ultimately, the best way to describe this movie is fun, but rushed. Weird, considering we waited four years for this sequel.

—Jonah van Driesum

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Ghost of Tsushima

I am rarely willing to drop $80 on a game, but I just did it to buy Ghost of Tsushima: Directors Cut on the PS4.

In this game, you experience the Mongol Invasion of Japan through the eyes of a lone samurai. You have a large and beautifully detailed island of Japan to explore at your leisure, uncovering a conspiracy surrounding the invasion and balancing the ethics of fighting a guerilla war.

The combat system is the deepest sword fighting system I have used, but it is expertly balanced by simple combos and easy to use buttons. Everything about Ghost of Tsushima focuses on this simplicity. Unlike many games, there is not a large-scale HUD to help you navigate. You can pull up a map that shows you your objective, but once in the game, you have to go on visual cues. To find your objective you follow the direction of the wind. To find secret items you spot foxes and birds and follow them.

Despite a dramatic background, the story is deeply personal and the use of colour gives the feudal Japanese setting not just a historical sense but also a mystical vibe that makes your characters' otherworldly skill feel all the more real.

All of these elements make you feel like a badass and keep you fully immersed in this world. The last time I had a new favorite video game was in 2015. This may be the new winner.

—Jonah van Driesum

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Stoke the Fire

Stoke: used to describe something that is really cool or amazing, taken from the term “stoked” which means “looking forward to.”

If you don’t ski, you, friend, have found yourself in the wrong place; this here little review is about to drip and drool with adoration for this pasttime! Even if you’ve never tried it, watching this movie might just make you want to start (though we'd be kidding ourselves if we thought we could come close to the skill level of these ski masters).

The film takes us across North America from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, through Montana and the north Cascades, up through the Selkirks and on to Alaska. Here the skiers find some of the worlds steepest and most dangerous peaks.

In an epic moment, home-town-heroes Christina Lustenberger and Ian McIntosh pulled off the first ascent of Mt Nelson in BC’s Selkirks range. The terrain is so steep, the skiers use rock climbing gear several times to repel down the rocky face.

One of the most dynamic characters is 14-year-old Kai Jones. At his home resort, Jackson Hole, he does a back flip off a 20-foot cliff to screams of approval from fans going by on the chairlift. At the bottom, the camera catches a glimpse of Jones’ bloodied face, having smashed his nose in to his knee on the landing. Still, you can hear him proudly saying, “best day of my life.”

My only minor criticism of the film is that it breezes over an important incident that happened in the ski community last year. Christina Lustenberger, Ian McIntosh, and Nick McNutt were touring deep in the backcountry when McNutt got caught in an avalanche. Even though he had been wearing a beacon, which is a life saving device in the backcountry, it somehow clicked off when he needed it most. Peips, the beacon manufacturer, had been receiving complaints for years, but the company had denied the issue. When public outcry followed this pro athlete nearly dying, the company finally issued a recall.

While it is wonderful and important for movies like this to exist to continually push the boundaries of what is possible, it is equally important to acknowledge the extreme risks that come with this awe-inspiring sport.

—Cali McTavish