(SPOILER WARNING!!)
Recently, I have started to sour on the previous Bayverse Transformers movies. After a while, it did start to feel as if the films where made with this sense of cynicism and contempt for the franchise, which is not how one should be approaching a film series based on one of the single most popular and profitable franchises of all time. I will always have an appreciation for the first film, as that was my gateway into the overall franchise. Even for a dumb action film, it still felt like the beginnings of a decent franchise. But despite the billions that the films has earned, fans and critics would nonetheless feel like they were just being bombarded with the same shit over and over again. And judging by The Last Knight's disastrous critical reception and lagging box office results, it seemed to finally break the camels back for a lot of people. This might by why people weren't really looking forward to Bumblebee, as they had finally gotten tired of watching these movies, in particular Michael Bay, and just wanted them to go away.
That said, I was still cautiously optimistic about the film, thanks in part to Travis Knight replacing Bay as director and the film itself being a soft reboot to the franchise, allowing for something of a fresh start and a means of making up for TLK's mistakes. Granted, doing yet another soft reboot just 4 years after Age of Extinction, the other soft reboot, seemed like a bit of a hasty decision, as that would also result in a lot of the set up storylines either being abandoned or incoherently retconned.
Fortunately, however, now that I've more than a week to fully process it, I can safely say that Bumblebee is by far the best live action film, as well as the closest to a modern G1 movie that we'll ever get. Although, thanks to Aquaman and Mary Poppins Returns (looks like shit) coming out at the exact same time, it'll probably be hit the hardest in the race to the top of the box office. So yes, I am in the right to blame Disney if Bumblebee doesn't do well financially.
Regardless, it's time that we finally address the film that actually matters. The war for Cybertron is reaching it's peak as the Autobots, lead by Optimus Prime, have no choice but to abandon the planet and find new places to stay. The scout B-127, later named Bumblebee, is sent to Earth by Optimus to protect it until they can mount a small team together and build a new home. Upon arrival in 1987, however, Bumblebee is intercepted by Starscre-- I mean, Blitzwing, who proceeds to tear out his voice box and leave him without a memory, before the Decepticon is blown to pieces in a spectacular fashion. Thanks for the cameo, David Sobolov!
After the fight, Bumblebee scans the signature Volkswagen beetle alt mode and goes into stasis lock, until a few months pass and he is found and taken in by Charlie Watson, played by Hailee Steinfeld. Charlie, on top of having a less than amicable relationship with her mum after her dad died, is shocked to see her new car turn into a robot barely twice her height, but helps him out in keeping him disguised and even gives him his name based on the buzzing and beeping from his no longer existent voice box.
Meanwhile, the Decepticon Triple Changer duo for the film, Shatter and Dropkick, arrive on Earth after learning of Bumblebee being on the planet, and manipulate the more militaristic Sector 7, seemingly lead by Agent "Insert John Cena joke here" Burns, into helping them to find Bumblebee by framing him as a fugitive and member of a resistance trying to disturb the peace on their planet. With Bumblebee learning more about humanity and even forming a familial bond with Hailee, while said human companion deals with her own personal issues with regards to connected to people and reconciling with the people she already has. All the while they avoid getting captured or killed by the Decepticons on their tail in a film that ISN'T 2 and a half hours long.
It's nice to see the story go back to basics, which is something this franchise desperately needed. The Last Knight tried too hard to create a shared continuity, but failed as it didn't resolve any of the lingering plot threads from the previous films and over-complicated it with a needless "chosen one" narrative, made worse as it was coupled by several retcons that almost completely wipes the other films from ever being possible to have happened in spite of relying on those films to even exist.
I really wasn't joking when I said I soured on the previous Transformers films.
But Bumblebee, as said previously, goes back to basics with it's story. It doesn't try to be something that it isn't, nor does it just retread what was already done beforehand. It just takes the classic scenario of "kid with a pet alien", and showcases said alien learning what it really means to be human and how their connections with their "owner" lets them grow and change over the course of their journey. This is the first time in the entire series that I really saw Bumblebee become more than just the kid-appeal toy seller, and it shines through with giving us a character to route for. On top of that, he's not just relegated to the background as had been the complaint with the other films. It may have a good amount of the focus be on the humans, but this is still Bumblebee's journey through and through. I finally have a chance to really appreciate whenever he is on screen instead of groaning whenever he talks through the radio.
Speaking of characters I really enjoy, I think Hailee Steinfeld was fucking great in this film. I've always enjoyed her work in movies (especially the remake of True Grit) and this film is no exception. Her fantastic performance really helps to bring who would otherwise be a generic character to life, as you really do feel for her when she is going through the toughest shit in her life. Stuff like her dead father, or her overbearing mother, or her inability to interact with people because of what she has, and is still, going through. Her chemistry with Bumblebee is beautiful, whether it would be light-hearted banter or Hailee seeking comfort from the troubles in her life. It never feels like she's just talking to a tennis ball on a stick, it really does feel like Bumblebee is in the scene with her at all times.
Remember what I said earlier about this film being the closest to a modern day G1 film? That's not by accident, as is evident in the scenes with the war on Cybertron at the beginning. The character models are exactly what the original characters would look like with a live action update, which instantly allows you to tell them apart much easier. I could actually recognise the characters as who they are meant to be, which was especially true for Optimus, the Seekers, Shockwave and Soundwave. Other stuff like the Seekers turning into the Tetrajets, Soundwave launching Ravage out of his chest, Prime having his mouthplate on all the time, Shockwave with his British accent and arm cannon, and of course, the Noise:
Even getting Jon "Epic Trailer Voice Guy" Bailey to do the G1 voices for both Soundwave and Shockwave, my two favourite Decepticons, shows that Travis Knight really cared about making this as G1 as possible without feeling like a farce. Even smaller stuff like a tiny snippet of "The Touch" (called it, by the way!) helps to sell the idea of making "G1: The Movie" and showing respect to the franchise again. I felt like I was there in the 80's watching the Autobots duke it out with the Decepticons for the first time, and I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face the entire time I was in the theatre and getting all of the references and call-backs.
The only complaint I could think of, and to be fair it is more of a nitpick, is that none of the Decepticons are actually named in the film. This is strange, especially seeing how Shatter and Dropkick are the main villains of the picture and we never actually know their names. Hell, Cliffjumper got to say his name three bloody times in his brief cameo before being called, and even Ravage gets namedropped, but unless you knew who Shatter and Dropkick were beforehand, you never would've known otherwise. Again, that's just more of a nitpick, but I think it would still help to really sell the film to both fans and regular audiences.
But otherwise, I can easily say, with no hyperbole or shadow of a doubt, that Bumblebee is exactly the Transformers film that we deserved the entire time. It's charming and funny when it needs to be, but it can also be action packed and heart-warming as well, allowing us to really appreciate the characters even more thanks to having slower paced scenes that let us breathe without being bombarded with exposition and mind-numbing stupidity. If this film is successful at the box office, I would gladly buy it twice on regular DVD and Blu-Ray, as it deserves to be seen by anyone and everyone. I'll probably see it a couple more times while it's still in theatres just to show my support. This may be my pick for best film of the year.
And yes, I say that after remembering Infinity War.
Overall rating; 9/10.
So, until next time; this is Callum Lewis, the Media Hood, rolling out!
... You know what? I'll just put both "Back to Life" "The Touch" here, if only because I love these songs and this film so flippin' much.
Tuesday 25 December 2018
Sunday 23 December 2018
Aquaman (2018)
(SPOILER WARNING!!)
While I still think that the DCEU thus far has been mostly trash, that doesn't mean everything in it was God awful. This is where Aquaman comes into play.
Much like Wonder Woman, Aquaman is a character who is otherwise underused in terms of cinematic representation. That's not to say he's never been a part of any other DC related properties, as he was one on the main members of the Justice League almost since it's inception. But either due to Batman and Superman overshadowing the rest or creators not knowing what to do with the character, Arthur Curry has otherwise played little part in the overall franchise outside of the comics.
But with his out of nowhere introduction in the Justice League film, and Jason "Khal Drogo" Momoa himself in the role, there were still fans clamouring to see the character in his own cinematic adventure, especially with director James Wan attached to the film. So long as Snyder and Goyer stayed as far away from the project as possible, we'll be good. And thankfully, I can safely say that we finally have another good DC film that isn't Wonder Woman.
And hey, it's still better than Titans.
The story, at it's core, is simple; Arthur Curry is the half breed child of a lighthouse keeper and the Queen of Atlantis, the latter leaving due to an arranged marriage and to keep the ones she loves safe. This hasn't worked fully, however, as Curry grows up to act as the defender of the seas and kick some major ass along the way. Things change, however, when his younger half-brother Orm, a.k.a the Ocean Master, is planning to launch an attack on the surface by uniting the remaining legions of Atlantis together and Arthur has to dethrone him before that can happen. With the help and coercing from Princess Mera, Arthur sets out on a quest to find the spear of Atlantis to stop Orm, despite the fact that he doesn't exactly see himself as king material.
Oh, and something about a mercenary who eventually becomes Black Manta who also has some kind of connection to Orm and wants to kill Arthur for leaving his dad to die, but that's nothing major.
One of the things that helps the film stand on its feet outside of the DCEU is that they don't try to weave in a larger, interconnected story that will be resolved in a crossover film, nor does it act as if the universe this far existed. They briefly mention Steppenwolf from Justice League, but otherwise, they try to keep the film rooted to Aquaman and his journey. This was desperately needed after the mess that resulted from BvS trying to be more than it could've ever hoped to be. We needed more of a (so to speak) down to Earth story that actually allows the characters to breathe and develop beyond what was seen of them in a previous film. We finally have the chance to really appreciate Arthur's character and see him become a true hero in his own right, while still working off of what little was already established about him.
It's ALMOST as if having a character grow and develop before throwing them in with a bunch of nobodies allows us to appreciate their interaction more and thus doesn't come off as forced or narrative contrived... seriously WB, it's not that fucking hard.
What also helps is the fact that much of Arthur's journey makes sense for his character. He's someone with simple needs; he wants to just protect both land and sea without much else in terms of being a full on hero. And he wants to have fun while doing so. He isn't ignorant of what he can do, he simply doesn't want to break away and betray what he is and what he knows. Thus, him not wanting to be king in spite of his heritage makes absolute sense in the films context and with how he interacts with everyone.
This contrasts well with Orm, who, while still being a pompous, arrogant prick, still does what he does for the sake of Atlantis and it's intrinsic to his characterisation. He was simply raised that way and knows no other alternative, as he lived most of his life without someone to teach him right or wrong. He's still a manipulative and conceited bastard, but you still understand where he's coming from and he is never depicted as just "the bad guy". Helped that he isn't just killed at the end; he faces the consequences of everything he has done and is going to answer for them.
If I had any real complaint about the film, it's mainly around one of the chief villains; Black Manta. Which is a shame, as they do a good job building him up from the start of the film. Arthur is actively responsible for Black Manta's father getting killed, and is in cahoots with Orm as both want Arthur dead for one reason or another. He is provided with Atlatean equipment and he builds various weapons and a cool looking helmet to prep himself to kill Arthur, taking on the Black Manta title in the process.
And he only gets about 5 minutes of screen time before he gets his ass kicked and isn't seen until the mid-credit scene to build up a sequel... laaaaaaaaaaaame.
I understand why he didn't have as much presence as Orm, as he is one of the lesser DC villains when comparing to the likes of the Joker of Lex Luthor, but he still felt like an afterthought who was mainly thrown into the film to sell more tickets. Very little of what he does actually matters to the films narrative and he could've saved the Black Manta suit for the next film.
Otherwise, I'm happy to see this film embrace the fact that it's a comic book film. With a character as inherently ridiculous as Aquaman is, it really is surprising that the film treats the character and his lore with such respect and dignity. Even right down to taking the costumes from the comics and translating it into live action. Seeing the orange and green spandex brought to the big screen and have it done in a simultaneously elegant and badass way shows how much the filmmakers really cared about pleasing both the fans and regular audiences. They don't just simply through a bunch of images from the comics for the sake of visual appeal; they integrate it and give a brand new sense of importance and legacy.
This film is what was so desperately needed after such misses like BvS and Justice League. It's fun, well-written, acted wonderfully by the entire cast, and finally gives me that excitement that has so desperately been missing from the DCEU for a very long time. I can finally look forward to seeing more DC movies again without having to just go back and watch Dark Knight for my DC movie fix. So, what's next?
*sees trailer for Shazam*
... At least I'm not groaning in frustration.
Overall rating: 8/10.
Until next time; this is Callum Lewis, the Media Hood, signing off!
While I still think that the DCEU thus far has been mostly trash, that doesn't mean everything in it was God awful. This is where Aquaman comes into play.
Much like Wonder Woman, Aquaman is a character who is otherwise underused in terms of cinematic representation. That's not to say he's never been a part of any other DC related properties, as he was one on the main members of the Justice League almost since it's inception. But either due to Batman and Superman overshadowing the rest or creators not knowing what to do with the character, Arthur Curry has otherwise played little part in the overall franchise outside of the comics.
But with his out of nowhere introduction in the Justice League film, and Jason "Khal Drogo" Momoa himself in the role, there were still fans clamouring to see the character in his own cinematic adventure, especially with director James Wan attached to the film. So long as Snyder and Goyer stayed as far away from the project as possible, we'll be good. And thankfully, I can safely say that we finally have another good DC film that isn't Wonder Woman.
And hey, it's still better than Titans.
The story, at it's core, is simple; Arthur Curry is the half breed child of a lighthouse keeper and the Queen of Atlantis, the latter leaving due to an arranged marriage and to keep the ones she loves safe. This hasn't worked fully, however, as Curry grows up to act as the defender of the seas and kick some major ass along the way. Things change, however, when his younger half-brother Orm, a.k.a the Ocean Master, is planning to launch an attack on the surface by uniting the remaining legions of Atlantis together and Arthur has to dethrone him before that can happen. With the help and coercing from Princess Mera, Arthur sets out on a quest to find the spear of Atlantis to stop Orm, despite the fact that he doesn't exactly see himself as king material.
Oh, and something about a mercenary who eventually becomes Black Manta who also has some kind of connection to Orm and wants to kill Arthur for leaving his dad to die, but that's nothing major.
One of the things that helps the film stand on its feet outside of the DCEU is that they don't try to weave in a larger, interconnected story that will be resolved in a crossover film, nor does it act as if the universe this far existed. They briefly mention Steppenwolf from Justice League, but otherwise, they try to keep the film rooted to Aquaman and his journey. This was desperately needed after the mess that resulted from BvS trying to be more than it could've ever hoped to be. We needed more of a (so to speak) down to Earth story that actually allows the characters to breathe and develop beyond what was seen of them in a previous film. We finally have the chance to really appreciate Arthur's character and see him become a true hero in his own right, while still working off of what little was already established about him.
It's ALMOST as if having a character grow and develop before throwing them in with a bunch of nobodies allows us to appreciate their interaction more and thus doesn't come off as forced or narrative contrived... seriously WB, it's not that fucking hard.
What also helps is the fact that much of Arthur's journey makes sense for his character. He's someone with simple needs; he wants to just protect both land and sea without much else in terms of being a full on hero. And he wants to have fun while doing so. He isn't ignorant of what he can do, he simply doesn't want to break away and betray what he is and what he knows. Thus, him not wanting to be king in spite of his heritage makes absolute sense in the films context and with how he interacts with everyone.
This contrasts well with Orm, who, while still being a pompous, arrogant prick, still does what he does for the sake of Atlantis and it's intrinsic to his characterisation. He was simply raised that way and knows no other alternative, as he lived most of his life without someone to teach him right or wrong. He's still a manipulative and conceited bastard, but you still understand where he's coming from and he is never depicted as just "the bad guy". Helped that he isn't just killed at the end; he faces the consequences of everything he has done and is going to answer for them.
If I had any real complaint about the film, it's mainly around one of the chief villains; Black Manta. Which is a shame, as they do a good job building him up from the start of the film. Arthur is actively responsible for Black Manta's father getting killed, and is in cahoots with Orm as both want Arthur dead for one reason or another. He is provided with Atlatean equipment and he builds various weapons and a cool looking helmet to prep himself to kill Arthur, taking on the Black Manta title in the process.
And he only gets about 5 minutes of screen time before he gets his ass kicked and isn't seen until the mid-credit scene to build up a sequel... laaaaaaaaaaaame.
I understand why he didn't have as much presence as Orm, as he is one of the lesser DC villains when comparing to the likes of the Joker of Lex Luthor, but he still felt like an afterthought who was mainly thrown into the film to sell more tickets. Very little of what he does actually matters to the films narrative and he could've saved the Black Manta suit for the next film.
Otherwise, I'm happy to see this film embrace the fact that it's a comic book film. With a character as inherently ridiculous as Aquaman is, it really is surprising that the film treats the character and his lore with such respect and dignity. Even right down to taking the costumes from the comics and translating it into live action. Seeing the orange and green spandex brought to the big screen and have it done in a simultaneously elegant and badass way shows how much the filmmakers really cared about pleasing both the fans and regular audiences. They don't just simply through a bunch of images from the comics for the sake of visual appeal; they integrate it and give a brand new sense of importance and legacy.
This film is what was so desperately needed after such misses like BvS and Justice League. It's fun, well-written, acted wonderfully by the entire cast, and finally gives me that excitement that has so desperately been missing from the DCEU for a very long time. I can finally look forward to seeing more DC movies again without having to just go back and watch Dark Knight for my DC movie fix. So, what's next?
*sees trailer for Shazam*
... At least I'm not groaning in frustration.
Overall rating: 8/10.
Until next time; this is Callum Lewis, the Media Hood, signing off!
Sunday 9 December 2018
My Revelations on Adel
(SPOILER WARNING!!)
I think that I've made it clear in the past that I'm not particularly fond of Kamen Rider Ghost, and one of those reasons was the fact that Adel, the eldest prince of the Ganma World, is one of the worst villains in the entire franchise (that I had seen, at this point; maybe someone in Zi-O will be worse). But one of the reasons why he is such a waste of a villain is his sudden moment of redemption.
Essentially, Takeru is somehow able to forge a connection with him and reminds Adel of his long dead mother and brother, which somehow snaps him out of his stupor and he suddenly doesn't want to be a villain anymore. Thus, while the Ganmaizers somehow overtake Adel's body, Takeru is allowed to deal the finishing blow that kills Adel and somehow he ends up going to Ganma Heaven or wherever the fuck a Ganma goes when they die.
Have I mentioned that this show does not explain ANYTHING about how the Ganma World works?
But yeah, for no reason, Adel is just forgiven of regicide and potential genocide and he's suddenly supposed to be a sympathetic character. This, however, fails, as we were never alluded to the idea that Adel had any form of sympathy or empathy, or even the whole dead relatives thing that in no way relates to Adel's scheme of making everybody him. We were never given the impression that Adel ever regretted his actions throughout the series, and thus never feel sorry for him when he breaks down crying and allows Takeru to kill him.
But of course, this blog is more about a revelation I've had about Adel as well as why he was a terrible villain. Namely, as I've seen this exact character type done before to great effect, with how it was done correctly.
Here's some hints; a prince, themes of death, ideology twisted by sociopathic influences, is revealed to have a tragic back story, is meant to be a figure of sympathy and regret by the end.
You know who that reminds me of?
Yes, really. I've just described, word for word, the characters of both Adel from Ghost and Asriel Dreemurr from Undertale, as both are actually eerily similar.
Ignoring the fact that both Undertale and Ghost were first released in 2015, Asriel and Adel are actually quite similar in their purpose; an all powerful being who wants to change the nature of reality itself. This difference, of course, is that Adel simply does what he does out of his own ego to make everyone him, whilst Asriel wants to constantly reset the timeline so that they always have the chance of facing off against Frisk.
But see, here's where the two continue to diverge, and this will involve spoilers for the True Pacifist Route for Undertale (which I have not addressed yet as I haven't wrote the next part of my Undertale review [it likely isn't coming]). So if you aren't aware of the ending, you have been warned; there are massive spoilers.
Anyways, Asriel is the long dead son of Toriel and Asgore. Sometime before he died, however, he befriended a human that fell into the Underground; Chara. The child was able to convince Asriel to go through a crazy scheme that would involve Chara poisoning themselves and having Asriel absorb their soul so that they can return to the surface, gather six human souls, and return to break the barrier preventing the monsters from returning to the surface. Upon arriving at a village, however, the townsfolk blamed Asriel for Chara's death and attacked him, eventually forcing him to return back to the Underground where he turned to dust, said dust covering Asgore's yellow flowers. One flower, however, was used in Alphys' Determination experiments and thus, life was given to that flower, who would eventually be known by us as Flowey. Flowey retained all of the memories he had when he was Asriel, but was incapable of feeling compassion and empathy. This could be chalked up to him either being a completely soulless monster, or some leftover influence from Chara.
That last point is relevant for later, trust me.
Still, at the end of the True Pacifist Route where everyone finally meets one another and stops the fight between Asgore and Frisk, Flowey shows up; stealing the human souls as well of the souls of every monster in the Underground to finally regain his original form as Asriel, with him beginning his plans to reset the timeline over and over again just so they can play this little game with Frisk (whom he actually believes is Chara).
But do you want to know WHY exactly Asriel is what could've happened if Adel was in any way competently written?
Well, it's namely because Asriel is actually a sympathetic character and evidence in the game show him as more of a victim of the machinations of a sociopath.
See, Asriel himself admits that Chara was not a good person, as they wanted to use the monsters to wipe out humanity and have a semblance of peace. When Asriel carried Chara's soulless body back up to the surface to be laid on a patch of golden flowers, Asriel wasn't the one in control; Chara was. Chara was trying to force Asriel to use their new God-like powers to destroy humanity at their own leisure. Asriel, however, simply refused, which was what lead to his death and his ashes being spread on Asgore's garden. This not only paints Chara as a complete and utter sociopath, but also allows the players to have some of sympathy with Asriel as it's clear that everything he did as Flowey was merely a result of him going insane without the ability to feel any compassion towards other creatures, as well as the left over influence from Chara that twisted his goals into becoming the God of Hyperdeath (yes, really).
Furthermore, even before the revelation in the True Pacifist ending of Flowey being Asriel, we were still allowed the chance to sympathise with Asgore once we learned of the entire reason as to why he wanted to see humanity die; he was grieving over the death of his children and, in a fit of rage, swore to everyone in the Underground that human kind would pay. Heck, even during the Neutral and True Pacifist runs, there were illusions to Asriel's existence and the importance he had in the story.
Namely, after Frisk is left unconscious when they lose Undyne in a fall.
Ignore the "Joseph" bit, that was just the guy playing the game. But I hope that this helps you understand where I'm coming from, right?
This is what culminates in one of the most heart breaking moments in the game, when Frisk realises the main reason why Asriel is trying to RESET the timelines over and over again; it's not because he wants to keep killing Frisk, but because Asriel had yet to truly accept that Chara was truly gone.
Chara was the only friend that Asriel ever had in the Underground, and losing them rocked his world to the core. He wants to be able to relive those memories again and again, even if it meant hurting other people. It was only because he was finally able to feel compassion, thanks to him absorbing all of the Souls in the Underground, that he was able to accept that he was just afraid of really saying goodbye to the person he cared about the most, even when he acknowledges that Chara wasn't really a good person, as they manipulated Asriel into trying to destroy humanity.
But do you want to know what truly sets Asriel apart from Adel? It's this:
He earnestly, and honestly, earned his forgiveness, not through any story contrivances, but through his own machinations with him destroying the Barrier. He earned his redemption, because he actually tried to make amends for everything he has done, at the cost of his own happiness. After he used up all of those Souls, he would eventually turn back into Flowey, but he willingly made that sacrifice for the everyone else's sake.
Which is why, after everything he had gone through and everything he did to earn our forgiveness, I always have Frisk do this:
That simple few seconds of Frisk comforting Asriel is one of the most touching and heartwarming parts of the entire game, as it shows how you're supposed to do the whole "sudden villain redemption" troupe that I often otherwise despise. They built up to this moment, and thus it was earned.
Adel, in comparison to all of this, never deserved anything less than my ire and distrust. It was never alluded to that he missed his family, thus it makes no sense as to why we should suddenly feel sorry for him. There was never a point where Adel realised the error of his ways, but was instead forced by the narrative to suddenly be a crybaby brat. And of course, after he "saw the error of his ways", he never actually did anything to earn our sympathy or forgiveness, as the story was so hastily rushed that Adel never even got the chance to show his change, hence why it's so difficult for the audience to sympathise with him.
In short, everything that was done right with Asriel was done completely wrong with Adel. When an Indie game often derided because of its fanbase can do this story far better than a TV series with themes of death, you know you done fucked it up.
I'm not saying Adel has to be a word for word copy of Asriel; I'm saying that Asriel is an example of how to do the "fallen hero turned to villain" troupe far better.
Still, that's just the revelation I had only recently, maybe other people who've watched Ghost and played Undertale had that revelation before me. For all I know, it could just be me.
But until we next meet; this is Callum Lewis, the Media Hood, signing off!
[You have finished reading the review; you are filled with DETERMINATION!]
I think that I've made it clear in the past that I'm not particularly fond of Kamen Rider Ghost, and one of those reasons was the fact that Adel, the eldest prince of the Ganma World, is one of the worst villains in the entire franchise (that I had seen, at this point; maybe someone in Zi-O will be worse). But one of the reasons why he is such a waste of a villain is his sudden moment of redemption.
Essentially, Takeru is somehow able to forge a connection with him and reminds Adel of his long dead mother and brother, which somehow snaps him out of his stupor and he suddenly doesn't want to be a villain anymore. Thus, while the Ganmaizers somehow overtake Adel's body, Takeru is allowed to deal the finishing blow that kills Adel and somehow he ends up going to Ganma Heaven or wherever the fuck a Ganma goes when they die.
Have I mentioned that this show does not explain ANYTHING about how the Ganma World works?
But yeah, for no reason, Adel is just forgiven of regicide and potential genocide and he's suddenly supposed to be a sympathetic character. This, however, fails, as we were never alluded to the idea that Adel had any form of sympathy or empathy, or even the whole dead relatives thing that in no way relates to Adel's scheme of making everybody him. We were never given the impression that Adel ever regretted his actions throughout the series, and thus never feel sorry for him when he breaks down crying and allows Takeru to kill him.
But of course, this blog is more about a revelation I've had about Adel as well as why he was a terrible villain. Namely, as I've seen this exact character type done before to great effect, with how it was done correctly.
Here's some hints; a prince, themes of death, ideology twisted by sociopathic influences, is revealed to have a tragic back story, is meant to be a figure of sympathy and regret by the end.
You know who that reminds me of?
Yes, really. I've just described, word for word, the characters of both Adel from Ghost and Asriel Dreemurr from Undertale, as both are actually eerily similar.
Ignoring the fact that both Undertale and Ghost were first released in 2015, Asriel and Adel are actually quite similar in their purpose; an all powerful being who wants to change the nature of reality itself. This difference, of course, is that Adel simply does what he does out of his own ego to make everyone him, whilst Asriel wants to constantly reset the timeline so that they always have the chance of facing off against Frisk.
But see, here's where the two continue to diverge, and this will involve spoilers for the True Pacifist Route for Undertale (which I have not addressed yet as I haven't wrote the next part of my Undertale review [it likely isn't coming]). So if you aren't aware of the ending, you have been warned; there are massive spoilers.
Anyways, Asriel is the long dead son of Toriel and Asgore. Sometime before he died, however, he befriended a human that fell into the Underground; Chara. The child was able to convince Asriel to go through a crazy scheme that would involve Chara poisoning themselves and having Asriel absorb their soul so that they can return to the surface, gather six human souls, and return to break the barrier preventing the monsters from returning to the surface. Upon arriving at a village, however, the townsfolk blamed Asriel for Chara's death and attacked him, eventually forcing him to return back to the Underground where he turned to dust, said dust covering Asgore's yellow flowers. One flower, however, was used in Alphys' Determination experiments and thus, life was given to that flower, who would eventually be known by us as Flowey. Flowey retained all of the memories he had when he was Asriel, but was incapable of feeling compassion and empathy. This could be chalked up to him either being a completely soulless monster, or some leftover influence from Chara.
That last point is relevant for later, trust me.
Still, at the end of the True Pacifist Route where everyone finally meets one another and stops the fight between Asgore and Frisk, Flowey shows up; stealing the human souls as well of the souls of every monster in the Underground to finally regain his original form as Asriel, with him beginning his plans to reset the timeline over and over again just so they can play this little game with Frisk (whom he actually believes is Chara).
But do you want to know WHY exactly Asriel is what could've happened if Adel was in any way competently written?
Well, it's namely because Asriel is actually a sympathetic character and evidence in the game show him as more of a victim of the machinations of a sociopath.
See, Asriel himself admits that Chara was not a good person, as they wanted to use the monsters to wipe out humanity and have a semblance of peace. When Asriel carried Chara's soulless body back up to the surface to be laid on a patch of golden flowers, Asriel wasn't the one in control; Chara was. Chara was trying to force Asriel to use their new God-like powers to destroy humanity at their own leisure. Asriel, however, simply refused, which was what lead to his death and his ashes being spread on Asgore's garden. This not only paints Chara as a complete and utter sociopath, but also allows the players to have some of sympathy with Asriel as it's clear that everything he did as Flowey was merely a result of him going insane without the ability to feel any compassion towards other creatures, as well as the left over influence from Chara that twisted his goals into becoming the God of Hyperdeath (yes, really).
Furthermore, even before the revelation in the True Pacifist ending of Flowey being Asriel, we were still allowed the chance to sympathise with Asgore once we learned of the entire reason as to why he wanted to see humanity die; he was grieving over the death of his children and, in a fit of rage, swore to everyone in the Underground that human kind would pay. Heck, even during the Neutral and True Pacifist runs, there were illusions to Asriel's existence and the importance he had in the story.
Namely, after Frisk is left unconscious when they lose Undyne in a fall.
Ignore the "Joseph" bit, that was just the guy playing the game. But I hope that this helps you understand where I'm coming from, right?
This is what culminates in one of the most heart breaking moments in the game, when Frisk realises the main reason why Asriel is trying to RESET the timelines over and over again; it's not because he wants to keep killing Frisk, but because Asriel had yet to truly accept that Chara was truly gone.
Chara was the only friend that Asriel ever had in the Underground, and losing them rocked his world to the core. He wants to be able to relive those memories again and again, even if it meant hurting other people. It was only because he was finally able to feel compassion, thanks to him absorbing all of the Souls in the Underground, that he was able to accept that he was just afraid of really saying goodbye to the person he cared about the most, even when he acknowledges that Chara wasn't really a good person, as they manipulated Asriel into trying to destroy humanity.
But do you want to know what truly sets Asriel apart from Adel? It's this:
He earnestly, and honestly, earned his forgiveness, not through any story contrivances, but through his own machinations with him destroying the Barrier. He earned his redemption, because he actually tried to make amends for everything he has done, at the cost of his own happiness. After he used up all of those Souls, he would eventually turn back into Flowey, but he willingly made that sacrifice for the everyone else's sake.
Which is why, after everything he had gone through and everything he did to earn our forgiveness, I always have Frisk do this:
That simple few seconds of Frisk comforting Asriel is one of the most touching and heartwarming parts of the entire game, as it shows how you're supposed to do the whole "sudden villain redemption" troupe that I often otherwise despise. They built up to this moment, and thus it was earned.
Adel, in comparison to all of this, never deserved anything less than my ire and distrust. It was never alluded to that he missed his family, thus it makes no sense as to why we should suddenly feel sorry for him. There was never a point where Adel realised the error of his ways, but was instead forced by the narrative to suddenly be a crybaby brat. And of course, after he "saw the error of his ways", he never actually did anything to earn our sympathy or forgiveness, as the story was so hastily rushed that Adel never even got the chance to show his change, hence why it's so difficult for the audience to sympathise with him.
In short, everything that was done right with Asriel was done completely wrong with Adel. When an Indie game often derided because of its fanbase can do this story far better than a TV series with themes of death, you know you done fucked it up.
I'm not saying Adel has to be a word for word copy of Asriel; I'm saying that Asriel is an example of how to do the "fallen hero turned to villain" troupe far better.
Still, that's just the revelation I had only recently, maybe other people who've watched Ghost and played Undertale had that revelation before me. For all I know, it could just be me.
But until we next meet; this is Callum Lewis, the Media Hood, signing off!
[You have finished reading the review; you are filled with DETERMINATION!]
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