Change Your Image
Newtype_Maikeru
Reviews
Kidô senshi Gundam Seed (2002)
Only Average.
Gundam SEED is the latest series in the long-living Gundam franchise, directed by long-time Sunrise staff member Mitsuo Fukuda. While many tout it the be either the best ever, or the worst ever, I would have to say it falls squarely in the realm of mediocrity with Gundam ZZ. While the second half of the series is rather good, the first half is more or less a rehash of the early portion of its predecessor, Mobile Suit Gundam. While most sequels and spinoffs have used the original series as a building point, SEED tells one of the most blatant copies of the plot of "First Gundam" in Alternate Universe proper. While it is understandable to a degree-- SEED is aimed at those who have not watched anything from the Universal Century-- it is bound to anger the core fanbase that Bandai and Sunrise have pleased for 20 years...
Which is the main problem with the show: In its attempt to garner a new generation of fans, it alienates the older generation's tastes with a rather generic plot and character designs. Even after the second half, when the writers move Gundam SEED into a completely different direction, the damage has been done in the eyes of the adults who watched Gundam as a child.
The saving graces of Gundam SEED are the interesting fight scenes-- there is even a Mobile Suit which resembles another popular mecha franchise in the U.S., "Zoids"-- and the catchy Japanese pop openings and endings. Even the improved writing seems to be pointless for the story in the long run, as 21+ episodes of absolutely high-quality story are ruined by probably one of the worst cop-out endings I've seen, a total rush job that answers none of the questions people wanted to know. And, judging by the fact that Bandai seems to have scrapped any plans for a SEED sequel next year, the continuation people longed for may never come....
Overall: A run-of-the-mill mecha anime with the Gundam title slapped on it, great fighting scenes and music, a mediocre plot, and atrocious character designs: 6/10.
Hulk (2003)
The First Blockbuster and the Biggest Blunder of the Summer
I am not sure what Ang Lee was thinking here... I came into The Hulk expecting a movie faithful to what makes The Hulk so appealing-- unbridled rage and anger, with lots of stuff being smashed.
Imagine the look upon my face when I realized I spent 90 minutes waiting to get into the theatre and expecting a cool movie... And then getting by far one of the most plodding and boring superhero movies ever made.
To start, we get a very long flashback sequence to take up the first 10 minutes of the film, displaying Nick Nolte looking only marginally better than his infamous DUI mugshot as he tries to unlock the secret to human superiority -- invulnerability to the elements and regeneration. Okay, fine, the writers added in the DNA messing-upping that was completely fine and cool in "Spider-Man." I was expecting some Hulk action soon, because I needed something to get my adrenaline pumping-- this is a Hulk movie, and Hulk is all about smashing everything to bits! ...It takes a full hour before the Hulk Up comes, and by then, my interest is waning. He looks great-- CGI being obvious or not, The Hulk looked detailed, and that's all I want.
Too bad you don't see enough of him in the movie all about the big guy. Instead, the viewer gets treated to a convoluted angst plot that seems better suited for a late-90's X-Men comic... Or a shoujo (girl's) anime.
The angst is what killed me-- WHY is there angst in a movie about The Hulk? I don't need psychological analysis of the big green man, and I doubt anyone else does. It padded a film that should have been 90 minutes of pure adrenaline by about an hour, and it wasn't even good padding.
The direction of the scenery was almost a redeeming factor-- Ang Lee is an artist when it came to the comic-book transitions between camera angles, and it was quite the site to my eyes. Unfortunately, the plot cannot be overlooked in place of the pretty pictures (unlike with most other action movies) in this case, so the movie ends up just suffering completely.
Ang Lee should stick to the beautifully-done wuxia flicks, and James Schmaus should be drawn and quartered for his terrible rendition of the legend of the Incredible Hulk.
*.5 / ***** (1.5 out of 5)