‘Gravity Falls: Weirdmaggdon Part II: Escape from Reality’ Review

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animation, escape from reality, gravity falls, weirdmageddon part II

                                                  This review may contain spoilers.

‘Weirdmaggedon Part II: Escape from Reality’ is the second part of the ‘Weirdmageddon’ multi-part episode and the penultimate episode of both the second season and the show overall. As Bill Cipher prepares to take his chaos worldwide, Dipper, Wendy and Soos break into Mabel’s prison to rescue her, only to find getting her out might not be as easy as they thought. 

Alex Hirsch’s announcement that ‘Gravity Falls’ will end after this season concludes will no doubt have left many fans sad. Luckily, if this episode is any indication, the series is going to end on a high. ‘Weirdmaggedon Part II’ explores several themes that have been touched upon in previous episodes such as the difficulties of growing up and fantasy vs reality as Dipper, Wendy and Soos attempt to rescue Mabel. However, Mabel doesn’t want to be rescued as she seems to be happy with the sugary, colourful world she’s stuck in. And in a way, you can’t blame her. She had her fears of summer ending, high school not being as great as she expected it to be and being separated from her brother. After all, how many of us have wanted avoid harsh realities?

There is also a large focus on Dipper and Mabel’s close bond and in particular, fixing it after the events in ‘Dipper and Mabel vs the Future’. During a bizarre court case in which Dipper has to prove reality is better than fantasy in order to rescue Mabel from the bubble, we are shown flashbacks to the twins childhood when they had bad days, such as Mabel getting gum stuck in her hair and Dipper getting made fun of when he didn’t get any cards on Valentine’s Day. However, Dipper counters by showing how they each helped each other during those tough times, before promising to always be there for Mabel. That whole scene is really lovely and will leave viewers smiling or the more emotional ones with a tear in their eye.

  
‘Weirdmaggedon Part II: Escape from Reality’ is a touching episode that makes you think about how we deal with or have dealt with growing up and facing reality. It sets the stage nicely for ‘Gravity Falls’ upcoming one hour grand finale, which is hopefully a good conclusion to the show as its promised to be. 

‘Terminator: Genisys’ Review

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film, genisys, terminator

‘Terminator: Genisys’ is a science fiction film and the latest film in the ‘Terminator’ series. The plot follows Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) as he is sent back in time by John Connor (Jason Clarke) to save his mother Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) from an AI known as Skynet. When Kyle does go back in time, he finds that the timeline has been massively altered, with Sarah being raised by a reprogrammed Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger). 

 To be blunt, ‘Terminator: Genisys’ is not a good film at all. There are several issues with the film; a confusing plot, poor acting and a twist which could’ve been really good but was executed badly due to being glaringly obvious, regardless of whether you had seen the film trailer spoiling it or not. ‘Terminator’ creator James Cameron might think ‘Genisys’ is as good as the first two films but due to the reasons stated, it’s not.

The film didn’t start off well, with the narration describing the events that lead up to 2029 dragging on for far too long, slowing the film’s pacing down and doing too much telling as opposed to showing. It gets worse from there, with all the different timelines and changed events further confusing viewers. 

 Then there’s problems with the characters or to be more specific, the two leads. Courtney’s Kyle Reese is a bland, unlikeable protagonist who doesn’t have any personality or charisma, making it difficult to root for him. Sarah Connor, (played by Emilia Clark of ‘Game of Thrones’ fame,) isn’t much better. While she does have an interesting backstory, a sweet relationship with the T-800 known as ‘the Guardian’ who saved her and has a couple of cool moments, these factors sadly aren’t focused on enough and Sarah comes across as rather bratty at times. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is pretty much the star of the ‘Terminator’ franchise anyway, is the only decent character in the film and pretty much the only good thing about ‘Genisys’. He’s super cool, provides a little comedy, (such as his attempts to ‘smile’ to fit in with humans,) and him being a father figure to Sarah was interesting. Sadly, due to being the tritagonist, he is mainly just used as a source of exposition and isn’t given as much focus as the other two central characters.

 As for the relationship between Kyle and Sarah, there is no chemistry whatsoever. They are supposed to be attracted to each other though Sarah tries to push Kyle away as she is aware of his death in the original timeline. However due to their lack of chemistry, it feels forced and just a half-hearted attempt to slap a romance into the film just for the sake of it. 

 Basically, ‘Terminator: Genisys’ was a confusing, boring film with bad characterisation and was very disappointing. This one is not recommended. 

‘RWBY: It’s Brawl in the Family’ Review

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it's brawl in the family, rooster teeth, rwby, volume 3, web animation

‘It’s All Brawl in the Family’ is the third episode in ‘RWBY’s’ third volume. We are introduced to Winter, Weiss’ older sister who runs into Qrow and clashes with him. Meanwhile, some of Cinder’s plans are revealed to the audience.

 After merely being mentioned by other characters, we’re finally introduced to Winter Schnee, who turns out to be, if you’ll excuse the pun, a very cool character. She’s pretty much you could predict from her brief mentions; an strict, aloof young woman who can act cold and overly formal even to her own sister. However, she does clearly care about Weiss, such as when she questions her over her diet, hobbies and friendships, before thanking Ruby for being Weiss’ friend. Despite Weiss and Winter having an unusual relationship, they clearly love each other and have a sweet bond.

 Sadly, the Schnee sisters don’t exactly have a lot of time to catch up due to the appearance of Qrow who has several bones to pick with Winter. Cue an epic signature ‘RWBY’ fight scene between the two. Both fight really well, which is particularly impressive for Qrow considering he has spent all of his screen time drunk. He proves to be surprisingly sneaky, standing completely still and goading Winter into attacking him. Winter’s efforts aren’t bad either as she doesn’t tire out at all. And despite initially thinking Qrow and Winter’s rivalry would negatively affect team RWBY, this doesn’t seem like it’ll be an issue as Ruby and Weiss joke about their respective family members fighting each other.

 After Cinder’s ultimate goals being somewhat vague for most of the series, we finally see a glimmer of them. It turns out Cinder has been fixing the ‘Vytal Festival’ Tournament match by deciding which contestants go up against each other. This explains why she was hacking into a network in Volume 2 episode, ‘Dance Dance Infiltration’. Her presence in Beacon Academy is also highly suspected by Ozpin, Glynda, Ironwood and Qrow. It seems like it won’t be long before the full extent of Cinder’s plan is revealed and RWBY realise Cinder is the enemy.
  
‘It’s Brawl in the Family’ is definitely the best episode of Volume 3 so far, with Qrow and Winter proving to be great characters who fit in wonderfully with the rest of the cast. The plot also seems to be advancing more and it’s going to be exciting to see how things will pan out. 

‘RWBY: New Challengers’ Review

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new challengers, rwby, rwby volume 3, web animation

‘New Challengers’ is the second episode in ‘RWBY’s third volume. Team JNPR and Team SSSN participate in the ‘Vytal Festival’ tournament. We also are finally introduced to Ruby and Yang’s uncle Qrow.

 This episode briefly introduced us to new characters who had been mentioned in the series but had not been seen yet. The most anticipated one was Qrow, Ruby and Yang’s uncle who we first see drinking in a bar known as, funnily enough, the ‘Crow Bar’. Qrow seems like he’ll be an interesting character as he doesn’t seem impressed with the various teams efforts in the tournament. It makes you wonder whether his own experiences as a huntsman has made him unimpressed with others fighting skills or if there is another reason.
  
 His scenes also further foreshadows his conflict with Weiss’ sister Winter which was previously seen in the opening theme. With the two being relatives of team RWBY members, it’ll be interesting to see not only what their conflict is but also how it will affect RWBY.

 While Qrow wasn’t impressed with JNPR and SSSN’s performance, I disagree and thought their fighting skills were amazing. In JPNR’s round, they really hold their own, with Nora in particular being really cool in the fight what with using her semblance to absorb lightning strikes. We also see how far Jaune has come in his leadership skills since the first volume, a far cry from the guy who had no idea what he was doing. 

  
Luckily, while he is a better leader, many of his goofy tendencies still remain, such trying to get his teammates to do paired attacks by calling out code name ‘Flower Power’. Hilarity ensues when Nora and especially Ren are left confused and the team wind up having a debate about it, to the point where the opposing team are frustrated with the teams sudden ignorance of them. And SSSN were really cool in their fight too, being at a disadvantage due to Neptune’s crippling (and ironic considering his name) fear of water.

 ‘New Challengers’ is a decent episode which slowly but surely sets up plot points for the rest of Volume 3 by introducing new characters who hopefully turn out as loveable as the rest of the shows characters. 

‘RWBY: Round One’ Review

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animation, round one, rwby, volume 3, web animation

‘Round One’ is the season premiere of the third volume of web animation, ‘RWBY’. This volume begins with Ruby and her friends taking part in the first round of the ‘Vytal Festival’ tournament. 

The new volume begins with Ruby Rose at her mothers grave and recapping all the adventures she’s had so far. It’s a bittersweet, heart wrenching scene which makes you smile as Ruby talks about her friends/teammates and gives you nostalgia for the previous two volumes. 

  
However, it’s also sad due to the real life context of this scene to ‘RWBY’ creator, Monty Oum’s passing earlier this year. The scene is a really lovely tribute to him.

 The return of ‘RWBY’ also means the return of the series trademark epic fight scenes, which we got plenty of thanks to the characters participating in the ‘Vytal Festival’ tournament. Though the team RWBY compete against put up a relatively decent fight, they are of course, no match for RWBY. Some cool moments during the fight include Blake tricking one of her opponents with a shadow double and Weiss creating large ice constructs. Ruby is also appreciative of the latter when Weiss uses them to save Ruby, leading her to pronounce Weiss as her ‘”BFF”. Despite Weiss responding with a flat “no”, Ruby isn’t having it and responds with a enthusiastic “yes!” 

 And that was the first of many scenes in the episode that will make you laugh out loud. In fact, the entire sequence after the tournament in the food market is absolutely hilarious. It begins with Blake’s tummy grumbling very loudly and Weiss sarcastically wondering where they can find food, before panning out to the many food stalls around them. We then see them order gigantic bowls of noodles with the exception of Blake, who has a large bowl of fish instead. Blake is very excited about this and gains starry eyes. Considering how moody Blake tends to be, it makes her enthusiastic reaction forwards her food all the funnier. But this is all topped by Nora’s motor mouthed speech about her worries of what would happen if her team was to lose, leaving Ren to deadpan “we’re feeling pretty good.”

  
  ‘Round One’ is a really good start to volume 3 and judging from this episode, means the rest of Volume 3 is going to be equally as, if not more, amazing. 

What did you think of the season premiere of ‘RWBY’ ? What was your favourite moment ? What are your predictions for future episodes? Comment below with your opinons. 

‘Life Is Strange’: Top 3 Episodes

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chaos theory, dark room, gaming, life is strange, out of time, video game

It’s strongly recommended you play the entire series of ‘Life Is Strange’ as this will contain spoilers.

It has been just over a week since the last episode of ‘Life Is Strange’ was released and the game has been a wild ride, full of tears, time travel and agonising decisions. Every episode was great, drawing you into an interesting, unique story woven around likeable, complex characters. Here’s a countdown of which of the three out of the five episodes were the best.

                                                                   

                                                                       3. Out of Time

  

‘Out of Time’ is the second episode in which Max experiments with her newfound time travel powers. This episode shows how important it is to just be there for someone who is going through a tough time, which you as Max can do for Kate throughout the episode. It’s just really heartwarming to be able to be there for a character and know you’re making their lives better. And it all pays off in the end as every nice thing you do for Kate will be useful in preventing her from jumping. Max’s powers stop working by this point which adds to the alternate endings of the episode. If Kate dies, then it shows time travel can’t fix everything. If Kate lives, then it shows you can be a hero without superpowers.

                                                                   2. Chaos Theory

‘Chaos Theory’ is the third episode and when the mysteries of Arcadia Bay get really interesting. Max and Chloe discover many secrets, including Rachel having an affair with Frank before her disappearance and Nathan Prescott having his records changed to make sound like a better student than he is. There was some really sweet developments in Max and Chloe’s relationship, such as the pool scene where they have a heart to heart. 
  

 But it was the moments in the lead up to the end of the episode that made it so good as we find out why Chloe is how she is, lamenting on everyone leaving her, which leads to Max finding out she can go back to past events via photos. Max uses this opportunity to go back and save Chloe’s dad from dying, leading to an alternate timeline with disastrous consequences.

  And who can forget Frank’s hilarious, furious reaction of “I WAS EATING THOSE BEANS!” should you take the opportunity to spill his meal on the floor? 

                                                                  1. Dark Room                                                        

And the best episode of ‘Life Is Strange’ is… Episode 4: ‘Dark Room’ ! This episode really stands out as this is could be considered the climax of the series, as we finally get all the answers players were asking for.

 One of the things that set the plot in motion was the disappearance of Rachel Amber. We find out her fate in one of the series’ most heartbreaking scenes as Max and Chloe find her body. Ashley Burch’s performance as Chloe has been always good throughout the episodes but she is absolutely fantastic in this scene. Chloe is utterly devastated to find her friend dead and her cries over Rachel sound so realistic that it makes you want to burst into tears along with her. 

  
  And of course, we had the shocking ending in which Chloe is killed and Max is unable to save her due to being drugged by none other than Max’s photography teacher, Mark Jefferson. Regardless of whether you suspected Jefferson of being a villain or not, the ending is shocking and will leave you feeling very emotional.

What was your favourite episode of ‘Life Is Strange’ ? Was there a moment not mentioned here you’d like to add? What would be your personal top three episodes ? Comment below with your thoughts. 

‘Gravity Falls: Weirdmageddon Part I’ Review

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animation, gravity falls, tv, weirdmageddon part I

‘Weirdmageddon Part I’ is the 18th episode in ‘Gravity Falls’ second season and the first part of a multi-part episode. Bill Cipher and his fellow demons have been unleashed into the human domain and it is up to Dipper and his friends to stop them from destroying Gravity Falls. In addition to this, they have to find a way to rescue Mabel from Bill’s prison. 

 Well, well, well, what an episode! The ending of ‘Dipper and Mabel vs the Future’ seen Bill Cipher destroying the space rift and allowing him to gain a physical form in the human world. We get to see the fall out and there is only one word to describe it… Chaos. Faces are rearranged, huge bubbles drive people to insanity and Bill even has some new friends to party with. Even the theme song isn’t safe from Bill’s antics. Bill might be ecstatic at how things have turned out but for Gravity Falls, its residents and possibly the rest of the universe, not so much.
   
  The season 1 finale had a plot line in which Dipper learned he can be a hero without relying on the the journals and something similar happens in this episode. Only this time, it’s intensified as not only is the situation Dipper is in is even more dire what but also the journals, which kickstarted the series plot in the first place, are destroyed. 

A shout out has to be given to Wendy who hasn’t had really a big role this season once the storyline revolving around Dipper’s crush had been resolved, yet really takes charge this episode. She is revealed to have had “Apocalypse Surviving Training” instead of Christmas and it shows. A particularly awesome moment is when her and Dipper are confronted by Gideon and his fellow prison mates who try to prevent them to reach the prison bubble that Mabel is trapped in. Wendy threatens to break Ghost Eyes arm (keep in mind Ghost Eyes is way huger than she is both height and build,) and to just snatch the key to the prison bubble from Gideon’s neck. And actually proceeds to do those very things before drop kicking Gideon and retrieving a get away car. How cool is that?

Speaking of Gideon, he has a little bit of character development and possibly may have even switched sides thanks to Dipper. Dipper draws on his own experience with his unrequited feelings for Wendy and convinces Gideon to not force Mabel to love him and be someone worthy of loving. Surprisingly, Gideon actually listens to this and proceeds to fight against Bill Cipher. Not bad for someone along with Bill Cipher, was a major villain in the series.

 ‘Weirdmageddon Part I’ is only the beginning of the multi-part ‘Weirdmageddon’ and what an epic start it is, with genuine horror, weirdness cranked up to multiple levels and awesome moments. Bring on ‘Weirdmageddon Part II’ !

‘Tales from the Borderlands: The Vault of The Traveler’ Review

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borderlands, tales from the borderlands, the vault of the traveler, video games

‘The Vault of the Traveler’ is the 5th and final episode of Telltale Games episodic game series ‘Tales from the Borderlands’. Handsome Jack has taken over Helios as he tries to possess Rhys. Meanwhile, in the present, the Stranger reveals his motives for capturing Rhys and Fiona and who he really is.

 ‘Tales from the Borderlands’ is an already amazing video game series which cleverly blends comedy with epic action sequences and drama. ‘The Vault of the Traveler’ cements this, not only being one of the best video game finales created, but also cemented ‘Tales from the Borderlands’ as one of the best episodic game series.

 The opening is definitely worth a mention. All the episode openings have opened the episodes wonderfully but this one is good in its own way. In contrast to the other openings, it’s rather emotional and is taking place during the darkest hour, with Handsome Jack having control of Helios. The song that accompanies it, ‘Retrograde’ by James Blake, is beautiful and fits with the events going on perfectly, as the group are all separated by the chaos happening around them.

 A major plot line is who the Stranger is and why he wanted Rhys and Fiona’s accounts of their adventures. Of course, I won’t spoil who he is, but I will say players will be pleasantly surprised at his identity. It’s not somebody you would not expect but at the same time, makes perfect sense. His motivations will also leave players cheering or at the very least, smile.

 What is also refreshing is how your decisions in the game and how you act towards certain characters strike up a sweet balance between subtly altering how the climax of the episode plays out and not changing the main narrative too much so players can still enjoy the story without wondering if it will drastically change had different choices had been made. 

 The ending and the build up to it is brilliant. Final battles in games can be stressful but this was not the case. In fact, just by pressing a few buttons on your controller, the final fight is actually really fun due to how well choreographed it is. And the ending scenes that follow are funny, heartwarming, and a perfect end to the series.

 ‘The Vault of the Traveller’, in a nutshell, has moments which range from awesome to emotional to laugh out hilarious. And every one of those moments are enjoyable and will leave players very happy long after ‘Tales from the Borderlands’ is finished.

‘Life is Strange: Polarised’ Review

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life is strange, polarised, video game

This review contains massive spoilers for not only this episode but also for Episode 4: Dark Room. Therefore it is strongly recommended you play previous episodes before reading further.

‘Polarised’ is the 5th and final episode of episodic game series, ‘Life is Strange’. The storm has finally reached Arcadia Bay and Max has discovered the truth about everything, ranging from Rachel Amber’s disappearance to the Dark Room and it’s up to her use her rewind powers to try and save the day.

 ‘Life is Strange’ is an intense, emotionally draining game and its conclusion is no different. This episode begins with Max tied up in the Dark Room with Mr Jefferson taking pictures of her in her vulnerable state. Derek Phillips’ performance as Mr Jefferson is terrifying, especially his speech while taking pictures of Max about her ‘purity makes a great image’ and losing his temper anytime she moves. After the reveal of his role as an antagonist in the ending for the last episode and very subtle hints about his true nature in previous episodes, actually seeing him show his true self is even more scary.

 This episode certainly immerses the player in the story. Due to Max being restrained, it takes a little while before any gameplay begins (time travelling through photos and trying to get certain objects notwithstanding.) Though it’s kinda frustrating you can’t move around and explore like usual, this is a good decision as being unable to do much makes you feel as vulnerable and terrified as Max and makes you feel even more frantic to get out of there and stop the storm from happening.

 Then of course, all of this leads to the very last choice you have to make. This, naturally, is the most difficult decision in the game and give you two endings. Both have pros and cons but both are guaranteed to make the player shed a tear. Or two. Or a hundred. 

 Despite some issues with the graphics (particularly when characters hair are wet,) and a nightmare sequence level which would been a cool idea had it not been dragged out so long and difficult, ‘Polarised’ is ultimately a decent yet very bittersweet finale for ‘Life is Strange’, which as a whole game, has been a great one to play.

‘Gravity Falls: Dipper & Mabel vs the Future’ recap/review

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animation, dipper & mabel vs the future, gravity falls, tv

This review/recap may contain spoilers.

Dipper and Mabel vs the Future’ is the 17th episode in ‘Gravity Falls’ second season. The end of summer is approaching as well as the twins 13th birthday. While Mabel makes preparations for their upcoming party, Dipper goes on a mission with Ford to fix the interdimensal time rift keeping the universe together.

  Alex Hirsch did tweet recently to warn viewers this episode would see everything go “off the rails” and he couldn’t have been more right. Despite the episode starting out all light-hearted and happy, it didn’t take long for things to go horribly, horribly wrong.

  Mabel did not have a good time this episode. She started off being excited for her upcoming birthday and for being a teenager in general. However her idealism is destroyed throughout the episode, starting off with a visit to the local high school which had been suggested as a party venue. Despite have preconceptions of high school being “like some sort of musical.” Mabel learns from a discussion with Wendy that high school isn’t like how it portrayed in the media. If that wasn’t bad enough, Mabel’s friends Grenda and Candy won’t be able to go to Mabel and Dipper’s party, something that hurts her deeply. And yet, this is nothing compared to what happens later in the episode.

 Meanwhile, Dipper was off on a mission with Ford to fix the rift, which had begun to crack. There, Ford gives him an amazing opportunity; to remain in Gravity Falls after the summer ends and be his apprentice. This is a tough choice for Dipper as the opportunity sounds like his dream but means leaving Mabel behind, as his insecurities about whether he would be able to handle it. He is shown to be competent for the role when he chases after the captured Ford in an intense sequence and he ultimately makes a choice… A choice that starts a chain of events that changes everything.

This episode was by far ‘Gravity Falls’ darkest and most intense, with themes of the dark side of growing up, ‘Gravity Falls’ usual humour taking a back seat in the episode for the most part and the very bleak ending, which leaves the episode on a cliffhanger. As amazing as the episode was, let’s just hope episode 18 comes out soon so we can see what happens next and if the huge mess caused in this episode can be sorted.