ONE PUNCH MAN SEASON 1 (2015):

ONE PUNCH MAN SEASON 1 (2015):

“The story of Saitama, a hero that does it just for fun and can defeat his enemies with a single punch.”

One Punch Man is something I've wanted to talk about for a long time, because it's so good. It's a comedy shonen. Usually, shonen are just about POWER GUYS who want POWER because POWER is good, so they quest to get more POWER. Here, Saitama already has ultimate power and is just doing the hero thing for fun. That's what makes it very fun and relaxing to watch, despite its action-packed shonen backdrop.

Early on in his hero career, he trains so hard he becomes bald. That's his origin. After that, he can knock out enemies with one punch. He even makes some enemies with the heroes from the Hero Association who are jealous of him. These make all the fights in Season 1 hilarious. The villains and other heroes talk a big game, and then it's over in one punch.

But, he doesn't just make enemies. While fighting a giant mosquito lady, Saitama befriends a cyborg Genos, who's training to become a hero. Saitama takes him on as a disciple. Then, One Punch Man takes out the “House of Evolution”, Hammerhead's "Paradiser Gang", and some others like “Speed o' Sound Sonic", who is a ninja. Eventually, Genos convinces Saitama to join the Hero Association, so he can have fans. From there, he passes the physical exam with flying colors while completely forgetting the oral test!

After multiple heroes struggle to take out the “Sea King”, One Punch Man arrives leisurely. After he punches him out, some kids and heroes start to claim that Saitama is a phony, or a job poacher. From there, the anime becomes a weird alien invasion story. Their leader Ouroboros has a heavily armored spaceship, and about 5 “final forms” of armor. Of course, the only thing Saitama really fights is boredom. He just says “Ok.” after Ouroboro's villain monologue. But, he has to break out his “finisher”: Serious Punch!

Even after all that, Saitama finds that most the aliens are good. So, he keeps to his apartment and lets them hang around. The reason I like Season 1 is it tells a pretty chill, self-contained story which is pretty much the opposite of your average self-serious, meandering action shonen. That alone makes it funny. The next seasons are about the arrival of the Hero Hunter villain Garou, and a tournament arc, with the ending teasing the arrival of the Monster Association. These are good, and deliciously self-depreciating, but nothing really compares to that first season.

One Punch Man is always looking for a good fight, but can never find it. Despite this, he's never boasting or talking himself up. He battles boredom, and gets excited for simple things like clearance deals on food. That's pretty much the entire joke. Some people hate that kind of humor, but I loved it. I haven't seen a shonen quite like it. If you've got a chance, definitely watch it. It's one of my favorites, and free on Hulu.

Robocop 2 (1990):

Robocop 2 (1990):

“RoboCop returns to protect the citizens of old Detroit but faces a deadly challenge when a rogue OCP member secretly creates a new, evil RoboCop 2.”

A new drug called Nuke is in the city, and Robocop has to take out the cult distributing it. The drug dealer turns out to be a kid, and he can't shoot him. When Robocop finally does track down the cult, he's dismembered and out-gunned. This leads to some silly scenes where they re-program Robocop to not be violent (Still not safe for kids!), police bad language, and smoking.

It's a pretty funny Robocop. A good mix of action-comedy. Meanwhile, scientists are creating a new Robocop program: Robocop 2. Unfortunately, the candidates are psychos and murders, not good citizens like Officer Alex Murphy. There's even a lot of debate over if he's company property, or an officer.

This is just good satire and action movie fun. Robocop unites the cops finally, but it's his human side that wins out. He's not just a company machine, and he has free will. It's a pretty fun watch, and ends with a pretty good shootout between Robocop and Robocop 2. Give it a watch, if you have time!

Read my review of Robocop 1 here: https://bit.ly/3A4alSn

Read my review of Robocop 3 here: https://bit.ly/3lULR7c

ROBOCOP (1987):

ROBOCOP (1987):

“In a dystopic and crime-ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg haunted by submerged memories.”

When officer Alex Murphy gets his limbs blown off by drug dealers, OCP (Omni Consumer Products) rebuilds him in a robotic body. He takes his revenge against the criminals of Delta City a.k.a. Detroit. OCP buys the police force and attempts to persuade the public to let it take over the city. But, something is very wrong about this plan, and Robocop is on the case.

Murphy begins to rediscover his humanity after his righteous rampage, and catchy one-liners. (“Your move, creep.”) He soon discovers the drug dealers might not be all they appear to be, as he accesses more of his OCP directives. His directives are: 1.) Serve The Public Trust, 2.) Protect The Innocent, 3.) Uphold The Law, and a 4th forbidden directive.

Wonderful action, good mystery, and a theme of what it means to be human and use technology. This film is an absolute classic. I'd recommend it to anyone who isn't squeamish. It is ultra-violent. But, I feel like the violence here serves a greater purpose. Definitely give it a watch if you can. It's free on Tubi!

If PG-13 is more your style, check out my post on Robocop 3 here: https://bit.ly/3lULR7c.

THE TERMINATOR (1984):

THE TERMINATOR (1984):

“A human soldier is sent from 2029 to 1984 to stop an almost indestructible cyborg killing machine, sent from the same year, which has been programmed to execute a young woman whose unborn son is the key to humanity's future salvation.”

The Terminator is one of the greatest sci-fi action films of all time, mostly thanks to Arnold Schwarzenegger as the killer robot. Kyle Reese is sent to protect Sarah Connor from his rampage. And the cyborg doesn't spare anybody. He shoots up punks, anyone named Sarah Connor, cops, and even tracks Sarah down to a hotel where she thinks she can be safe. But, she's not, because the Terminator will never stop until she's gone.

Time travel shenanigans ensue though here. You see, if Kyle Reese wasn't sent back from 2029, then the leader of his resistance wouldn't be born. It doesn't really work out. But, oh well, the action is good. Plus, it gave us the greatest sequel of all time, Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The cyborg comes back to protect John Connor, who will lead the resistance against the robots.

If there's one thing that dates this film, it's not just the robot puppets, it's the fear of machines and computers. I wonder if a film like Terminator would be as effective today. But, Arnold Schwarzenegger makes such a good monster killing machine that it's hard to look away. Definitely watch it, but for the great action scenes. Everything else is kind of stuck in time. But, I like that.

The Killer Robots! Crash and Burn (2016):

The Killer Robots! Crash and Burn (2016):

“Robot mercenaries are sent on a mission to activate a machine that will bring about a new age of enlightenment.”

This movie is about 4 robot arena fighters who will be freed if they upload a punchcard freeing all other robots from the control of the vicious Lord Mot. One thing I will say about this movie, it doesn't have the best special effects. Most are basic green screen and puppet work. Most the robots are just guys in silver facepaint.

If you can get used to the low-budget look, it's pretty fun. They've got robots blowing up all over the place, and saving the universe. At one point, it just cuts to a live-action man playing guitar with a chicken. It's definitely odd. But, if you're in the mood for cheesy sci-fi, grab some snacks and watch it. Free on Tubi.

Mantera (2012):

Mantera (2012):

"About a boy, Azman, who stumbles upon a nano-tech glove which can transform his motorbike into body armor."

A clueless nerd from Malaysia trains with an ancient organization after he's accidentally mailed cyborg technology. It's ok. Some of the CGI is jerky and unusual. It kind of looks like an early 00s FMV videogame that doesn't make me nostalgic. The good guys are the Alliance of Light, giving them the unfortunate acronym AOL. I mean, it's like Last Starfighter combined with half-baked Transformers. It's free on Tubi, but you can skip it.

METALSTORM: THE DESTRUCTION OF JARED-SYN (1983):

METALSTORM: THE DESTRUCTION OF JARED-SYN (1983):

"On a desert planet, warlord Jared-Syn is trying to convince a tribe of mutants that he's their messiah and gain unlimited power hidden in a crystal. Ranger Dogen and explorer Dhyana, who's father was murdered by Syn, must stop him."

Mad Max meets Star Wars! It has everything. A magical space ranger! An electrical ghost! An armored car! A cyborg! A cyclops! In 3D! Total B-movie schlock, but worth a watch for all the recycled sci-fi action tropes. So bad it's good, all mixed together. Give it a watch.

Robocop 3 (1993):

Robocop 3 (1993):

"Robocop saves the day once more. This time the half man/half robot takes on ruthless developers who want to evict some people on "their" land."

The first one without Peter Weller. Still pretty good. Good action. I thought parts were funny. Like Robocop with a jetpack. Also uses a flamethrower and shoots up punks at the end. Leans into the goofiness, but doesn't mess around.

Ghost in The Shell (1995):

Ghost in The Shell (1995):

Ghost in The Shell is about a cyborg spy woman (Major Makoto Kusanagi) working for the intelligence agency Section 9 to track down The Puppetmaster who hacks into people’s brains making them commit terrorist actions they can’t remember through their “ghosts” or computer brains. While it is uniquely 90s in its presentation of tech, with wires and virtual realities galore, its philosophy is both uniquely Japanese, and timeless. In the first scene we see The Major taking down some terrorist separatists negotiating with the gov’t. She guns them down and jumps out the window naked, before disappearing. This establishes her as a badass.

Every action scene is really well done. When she’s tracking down the Puppetmaster she has to jump from a truck to tracking down the puppet masters victims by foot and using martial arts, again while naked and invisible. It would be easy to dismiss Ghost in the Shell as eroge were not the rest of the story so good. Every intense action scene is followed by philosophy.

Typically, in the West we have the theme of Man vs. Machine, and we have the idea that punks are lowlifes, bad people. Ghost in the Shell purposes that man and machine are inseparable, that they improve each other. Kusanagi wonders aloud throughout the movie if she was ever human, and what that would mean, while drinking beer, and smoking. Which is typically not what we see in the West. Her vices humanize her, even if she is a machine.

After discovering that The Puppetmaster was designed by another intelligence team (Section 6) she meets with the Puppetmaster who blows up the place and announces that he is a living AI named Kaze. Think of a living internet. Kusanagi followed Kaze to the Kyoto docks, but is ambushed by a Section 6 spider tank with machine guns. She is able to hold her own for a while, but is torn apart by the tank. During this time, Kaze suggests that they merge into one new digital body. Kusanagi’s partner Batou destroys the tank, and Section 6 stands down, since the Puppetmaster has been subdued/vanished. He has merged into a new body with The Major.

Overall, I think the original Ghost in The Shell is a classic. Easily 8/10. Great fight scenes, great art, serious subjects…my only complaint about the original is that with all the heavy philosophy some scenes do drag. Particularly, after the great action scenes. But, it is nice to see the movie say something beyond Man vs. Machine. That mankind would exist with machines. The answer to The Major’s question seems to be in my opinion that it wouldn’t matter who she was before she was a cyborg. She drinks, and smokes, and kills just like humans. Most humans don’t really live anyway.

It’s never really answered, but the fact that she merges into a new body plays into this idea, as well as Buddhist ideas of reincarnation and impermanence, which I think are really Japanese. It’s just a shame that each series after the classic movie has diminishing returns, and only looks more dated each time. The Netflix 2020 series is very action heavy, but still good if you like seeing The Major and Section 9 in action. Then, there’s the series which has tiny talking spider tanks, as sort of comic relief. The Scarlett Johansson Hollywood movie, while good on action, both completely avoids philosophy and answers the question if she was ever human. It’s all very silly.

In conclusion, the original Ghost in the Shell is a classic which takes time to appreciate and savor its plot. Its message is as timely as ever. Technology is here. It’s not good or evil. It’s part of us. Who hasn’t zoned out in front of a computer? But, who’s to say that life would be any different without it? In the end, it’s up to us and what we do with it.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (2014) REVIEW:

           

“Trust is what makes an army work. Not a bunch of guys running around shooting guns.”

- Captain America

Oh, that Captain America! So honorable. So gee-golly good! So trusting! 70 years frozen in an ice cube and does it even phase him? Nope. Just takes getting used to, he says. I mean, sure he’s got a long list of music and movies to watch, but that’s what the internet is a for. (Right?) And for buddies, he’s got his own little army in The Avengers! Ol’ Cap just never stopped fighting the Good Fight.

But, now his faith in The Good Fight is a little shaken up after he finds out his buddy Nick Fury’s been keeping secrets from him. What’s a supersoldier to do?  Why, keep fighting The Good Fight of course, and find out the truth behind SHIELD‘s secrets, even while being framed for them! There’s a lot more action in this one, and a lot more hitting people with shields. Especially because he’s hunted by The Winter Soldier!

I loved this movie even though a few things were changed from the comic book version, of The Winter Soldier. Namely, Bucky isn’t picked up by the Russians. Rather, he’s a HYDRA (read: super Nazi.) agent, and being a Russian assassin is sort of his cover story. He’s made to look Russian, given Soviet arms, (and an arm…) and brainwashed.  Although, it’s really HYDRA in control.

Yet, every time Cap and Black Widow get closer to the conspiracy, Winter Soldier appears to stop them. Physically, (and with that cyborg arm!) he’s a match for Cap, but not mentally, since he’s being Hawkeyed (a.k.a. mind-controlled.) It’s Cap’s good morals that win the day, even as helicarriers explode around him. Of course, if you’ve read the comics, you know where the Winter Soldier will end up, and why it was necessary that he be the titular villain in this arc.

Speaking of storylines, I guess I’m one of those rare beasts who absolutely loved Captain America: The First Avenger. This may be either because I liked the moral, or because I spent too much time studying WWII and the German language…or all of that! Nonetheless, I was pleased to see connections from the earlier film play into the HYDRA conspiracy. The arrival of Dr. Zola details HYDRA’s Cold War work…which is based in fact. The superpowers did scramble to pick up German scientists in the post-war period. In effect, Cap is still fighting the same war: Freedom vs. fear. Wowzers! Historical fiction! What will Marvel 2.0 think of next?

Speaking thematically, this is where I think Marvel upped the ante for the movies. Behind Cap’s loyalty and trust are (I think.) a tacit rejection of Batman’s use of fear as a weapon, which places Marvel vs. DC effectively in two camps philosophically. Compare Cap’s objections to SHIELD’s operations with Batman hacking every cell phone in Gotham. “This isn’t freedom, this is fear!” Cap might well say. But, philosophy aside, I simply loved everyone in the movie. I really think Marvel just created a great new world by destroying its old one.

Of course, Cap has still got it in either world. He can  still kick butt! And so can his new friends Falcon (I was worried Falcon might be a cheesy sidekick, but he works his way in to be necessary to the plot, and a good pal to Cap!) and Black Widow!  For me, this Marvel 2.0’s best film to date. It has a clear vision, good action, and sets up fascinating story arcs, if I know where this is going. Frankly, I can’t wait to see where they’ll go next! Freedom prevails! 5/5 stars from me!

(Did I mention I think I see where they're going?)

Justice League: War (2014) Review

Justice League: War (2014)

Batman: “The world’s afraid of us.”

Green Lantern: “You say that like it’s a good thing.”

Batman: “It’s necessary.”

Justice League: War explains the origins of the Justice League and how they united to fight against Darkseid. But, first some had to fight against each other. Green Lantern chases Batman around Gotham believing he is an alien with a bomb. But, he’s actually stopping an alien with a bomb! In the fight and battle of wits that ensues, Batman disarms Green Lantern! It’s a very good demonstration of Batman’s skill and shows that he isn’t just a guy in a batsuit.

Really, I guess that’s the only problem I have with the film is that it’s way too Batcentric. Movies seem to have lost the idea of how to portray Superman as a leader and symbol of hope. Here, he’s an Old Testament-type God-figure, introducing himself by tossing Batman around until he realizes he’s not the enemy. It’s a might-makes-right philosophy…and I think it’s telling that they can’t represent hope without it choking fear. We can’t let Superman stand on his moral authority like Christopher Reeve's Superman did. Batman leads the Justice League now. With fear as a necessity.

But, also against this, we see the story of Wonder Woman, who prefers to spend the day eating ice cream with a girl instead of meeting with the President until the invasion. She at least provides some comic relief. And feminist philosophy. At one point, she gets one of her protestors to admit that he cross-dresses as Wonder Woman via The Lasso of Truth. It’s funny, and at least shows her philosophy of fighting for Truth, rather than hitting everyone right away.

Now, eventually we see characters like Flash (Who analyzes the metal from the bomb.) and Cyborg, and Shazam. All these characters are played spot-on. Flash has his signature fast-talking quick wit. “It’s an honor to meet you, sir…Batman…Batman, sir!” Cyborg’s backstory is the most detailed, which I believe they should focus more on should they make more movies in this storyline. His scientist father basically reveals that he missed his son’s football game to analyze the metal, because whatever he can do with football (in the world of superheroes.) is a joke.

Later, when  he becomes infected with an alien symbiote, his scientist dad uses a “quantum computer” to save his body, and he becomes Cyborg. It’s a cool story, and shows how technology can make us compete with superheroes. With a power chair, I know this firsthand.

And then of course, there’s  one of the JL’s greatest opponents, Darkseid. He appears out of the alien rift caused by this terraforming bombs. Superman again is a little underplayed here, and he gets abducted, and Batman rescues him. But, this is Batman’s era. I thought how all the team fought together using their powers (Flash for distraction, Green Lantern to repel the army, etc.) was nice. Wonder Woman stabs out Darkseid’s eyes, perhaps in a nod to the Cyclops myth. Oh, yes, it’s an adult cartoon, so there’s blood, and swearing…but that’s what I expected.
 
Overall, it’s a great feature, and the animation is gripping…reminiscent of Batman: The Animated Series. Very refreshing to see hand-drawn styles, at least…I miss hand-drawn style. It sounds weird, but as I’ve said before I’m a secret animation geek, so it really pulled me in. Especially with the plot! I’ll add a star just for seeing some good animation.

So, in conclusion, yes, Superman’s ideal (Justice) is underplayed for Batman’s fear-based aesthetic. He even wears the Man of Steel (New 52, actually.) outfit! But, I can get used to a Batcentric JL if that’s really what people want in the post-9/11 world. But, is it “necessary”? No. Okay, that’s my final philosophical critique. I actually really enjoyed this movie and the animation, and the essence of the characters.

I mean, there’s Cyborg’s technological genius, Shazam’s bravery (And Shazam is voiced by Sean Astin!), Green Lantern’s willpower, Wonder Woman’s Truth, Flash’s quick wit…if DC’s looking to copy the success of the 2012’s Avengers (Hint: They are. Superman is Hawkeye here, Flash is Iron Man, Wonder Woman is Captain America…even the star-spangled outfit…has to rediscover the modern world.) They succeed here! Now, just make Superman a little more useful than Hawkeye! Oh, snap! 4/5 stars from me! Go see it!

Elysium (2013)

Elysium (2013)

Max: “I need to get to Elysium.”

After taking a lethal dose of radiation while at his job, Matt Damon (Max) is given five days to live. Earth has turned into ruins, and the rich live above them in space in a place called Elysium. Of course, the robots don’t care about the humans on Earth. They only care about the humans on Elysium. So, after Max is harassed by robots the entire beginning of the movie, and then haphazardly given anti-radiation pills and five days to live, he realizes he needs to get to Elysium.

  But, the people on Elysium are all rich and healthy. They don’t want to welcome the power and the sick. Visually, Elysium is white and pristine, while Earth is like a grimy desert. Earlier in the movie, we see the rich people have no problem shooting down the poor, and I mean with missiles and an assassin named Kruger. So, to get around this Max visits his buddy Spider who outfits him with a cyborg exosuit that contains all of Elysium’s data.

      Astute William Gibson readers will notice this is the exact plot of the 1981 short story Johnny Mnemonic, only the affluent Megacorporations are in space, and the assassins aren’t with the Yakuza. A good amount of the film is in Spanish, whereas “Johnny Mnemonic” favored Japanese as the local language. Those similarities aside, Max tells his romantic partner he’s going to Elysium, and she wants her daughter to come with him, because she has leukemia, and they can cure disease on Elysium.

     One of the things Max’s cyborg body has the power to do is shut down Elysium. After a raid on Kruger’s men, Max’s buddies are wounded and looking for a way to get to Elysium, now that they have leverage. Frey’s (The romantic interest) daughter tells him a cute story about a monkey standing on a hippo’s back to get all the fruits it wants. From there, he gets the idea to threaten suicide if not taken on a ship. Again, that’s straight from Gibson…but, as Gibson is the father of cyberpunk, where there’s no middle class, it’s hard to escape his influence when making a cyberpunk movie.
 
I don’t know, I probably spoiled enough already, but then the movie becomes sort of predictable. There’s a big fight with Kruger on Elysium, and then he reboots Elysium to allow Earth citizens. One of the things I liked about it was that it shows the differences in class very well visually. Some Earth stuff is high-tech, but it doesn’t exist to serve them. Also, the people on Elysium abuse the language of disease to characterize Earth’s population. John Carlyle, the evil Secretary’s associate quips: “You think I like breathing this air?”

Everything on Earth is considered a burden, in true cyberpunk fashion. The only piece of technology that really serves the low class (as in Johnny Mnemonic!) is the protagonist’s cybernetic access to data the high class needs, and it’s part of his body. This theme always appeals to me as a disability theorist. How technology gives us strength! And along with the data, Max’s exosuit also grants him increased strength, because essentially he’s covered in a robotic chassis.

While such robotic technology appeals to me, I can’t help but think it might be used to “cure” the disability experience, which is my choice to live. Certainly, medical themes are prominent throughout Elysium. But, those are in life-threatening cases. The point is that just because someone has a disease, doesn’t mean they are a disease, and Elysium drives that home well!
   
In conclusion, it has some cyberpunk tropes that I’ve seen before…down to the computer expert named Spider who outfit’s the hero. But, it’s been a while since I’ve seen an honest-to-goodness cyberpunk action movie! So, I loved it! It’s got great action, with assassins and cyborg battles dominating most the movie. I just wish they didn’t draw so heavily from Johnny Mnemonic. (And no, I don’t mean the 1996 movie adaptation…though maybe I’ll review that later.)

Fans of cyberpunk and sci-fi should be pleased. Max could’ve been Keanu Reeves! (That’s a Johnny Mnemonic joke!) Matt Damon seems to draw from his Bourne Identity experience, and delivers a strong, socially conscious action hero that works well in the cyberpunk genre, showing the benefit of technology mixed with humanity. As far as a rating, I’ll give this movie a solid B!