(trailer review) - Mortal Kombat II

 

Up, Down, Left, Right, Finish Him! Mortal Kombat was that rival game for those who loved Street Fighter II. It has come a long way, too. The earlier film can be argued as a guilty pleasure, but was definitely better than the Street Fighter film (that one was so bad, Raul Julia had some iconic lines and made it good). The most recent Mortal Kombat film, though, whilst not amazing, was actually a really good and entertaining movie. Ultimately there was not much to the strange story, not many or any one-liners or quotables that I can remember, but some of the characters were introduced, and there were some decent fight scenes, but when it ended, I did think at the time, "that wasn't bad, a sequel would be nice", or something along those lines, but because I enjoyed it. And here we are, a sequel to a decent Mortal Kombat film, and the gang is back, and then some.

Grabbing Karl Urban from Lord of the Rings, Thor Ragnarok, Dredd, Star Trek and The Boys fame, is an absolute get, as it seems as though, having him play the actor Johnny Cage is superb casting, as Karl is an awesome actor. What I will say, though, seeing those other characters is nice and all, but what is happening? A little like the first movie, you are seeing all these different characters that appeared later in the games and although we may not be following the game's storyline at all (something I know little about and they could be making their own), or maybe loosely, what happened to the other guy in the first movie? There is a quick shot of him in the trailer, a blink and you will miss it, moment. Where is Sub-Zero? Granted, I have definitely forgotten what happens at the end, and he may likely be "dead", and maybe I need to watch it again, but this looks like a continuation, but the main character has been swapped out? Or is it, "Here comes a new challenger!" I dunno, I like the trailer, but is it all about Cage now? Regardless, some money has definitely gone into the sequel, and should this be just as good as the first one, we should have a decent time with it. Remember that frozen blood turned into a weapon,  something like that! The "Get over here!" is good and all, and expected, but that slice-a-man-in-half at the end is expected as it is a fatality, but we need a better trailer. Maybe, just maybe, some X-ray shots like in the games. That might be cool!

(episode review) - The Last of Us: Episode 2

This week we start with a flashback of the few days before the outbreak and a lady is having her lunch in a restaurant which is interrupted by a soldier. He tells her to come with him to a destination where she is asked to inspect the body of a woman who was acting weird. They discovered a bit of mark and a possible infection but needed her expertise to clarify and confirm their findings. Shortly afterwards, the doctor and the soldier have a conversation about what should be done going forwards and her response was dire.
Another bleak intro again sets up how this show shows us the audience, the world and their reaction to an infected and incurable person. The tension builds up slowly in these scenes and the room with the body is just nasty.


After the opening credits, we focus on the party going forward consisting of Joell, Ellie and Tess. They have only found out about Ellie's condition, so they are both sceptical and quiz Ellie and her importance. While debating on what to do and wanting to complete their task, they set off deciding on which route to take for a safer and easier journey to their destination, but when one potential route is blocked, they take another which brings them into a museum where they stumble into infected.
Chilling and tension drove where we get to experience some great acting in a scene with very little dialogue. We get to see an infected up close and how vicious they can be, their strengths and their weaknesses. Another great moment underscores the position the world is in and how one must navigate through it.


In the last moments of the episode, they finally get to their destination, but things do not run to plan. No one is there, there is no trade-off and both Tess and Joell have a conversation about what to do next.
Without going into spoilers, a great moment between the characters and while I had a feeling and knew what was going to happen, to see everything play out was amazing. To get more information about the infected and how they work/operate in this world was terrifying. These small little character-building moments however brief help to build out the characters more and more which helps to make the show gripping. Another excellent episode.


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(episode review) - The Last of Us: Episode 1

I have been playing computer games since NES Turtles and the only reason why I have not played the computer game 'The Last of Us', (the game this show is based on) is because I did not have a PS3 or PS4. And although I am aware of some details of the game, I will still purchase the remake (as I was interested in the Remastered) for my PS5 and play the game, even if the show will cover the story plot points of the game, why? Because I heard the game's story was soo good, it was one of the best stories in gaming out there and quite possibly, ever. So I guess this is the reason why we have this show and what a great choice to make this into a series because a movie will not capture what had made the game soo good.


The show starts with a TV interview discussing possible pandemics and why people should be scared of them. The conversation slowly turns from bouts of laughter to a quiet stillness within the studio this is being recorded in. You see, whilst one of the scientists is explaining a possible deadly virus, the show is letting the audience know how serious this show is going to get. After the opening credits, we open with a day in the life of Joel and his daughter. There are some subtle hints that things are not right within the world, but these hints occur gradually more and more as the day goes on.


Three minutes in, thirteen minutes in, twenty-three minutes in and this show does enough to grip you, lock you in, tie you up and then make you cry...and the show is only 1 hour long, we have not even got halfway through at this point. We are introduced to the "protagonist" Joel (Pedro Pascal) and his family life and the world they live in. There is a time jump and we are reintroduced to Joel and the world they currently live in and we are looking at a post-apocalyptic world where humanity is on the brink of extinction. We are introduced to a little girl named Veronica and a few seem-to-be key characters (I do not know because of the game), and a hint of what this show will be about.


The music from the opening credits to the slow and quiet scenes. The action scenes, whilst not many unlike a computer game, everything has simply been executed to absolute perfection. Pedro Pascal shows us in less than 25 minutes of dialogue and story, why he was chosen for this role. Bella Ramsey, whilst I have not played the game to fully make an opinion on her performance as she has significantly less screen time than Pedro in this first episode, I will say she was excellent. I mean, if you had seen her in Game of Thrones, she was quality. You can tell there will be a special dynamic between her character and Pedro's which will be enjoyable to watch.


So far, the first episode is excellent and I can only imagine, for those like me who have watched this episode and really enjoyed it but have not played the game (if gaming is their thing), may consider buying the game and/or console to play the game so they can get involved with the story. So far, so good and if the remaining episodes are as good as this first episode, we will definitely be onto a winner. So if you like The Walking Dead, this may very well be right up your street.

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