For gaining such critical acclaim and winning Game of the Year awards, I didn't feel I'd have anything new to say on the title. Everyone must have covered every angle, down to Chloe's creepy beady eyes. However, I believe the gamewas being lauded more for its technological spectacle than for the game part of it.

Gameplay Shameplay

Uncharted 2was a 3rd person shooter with some platforming. Uncharted 2 alsowas a cinematic experience sometimes, with dazzling action setpieces thatwere more for the eye than the thumbs. Raising the cinematic expectations so high, I think Naughty Dog found themselves in a rut. Ifelt like I wasgoing through the motions of the generic gameplay just to get to those cinematic moments. In fact, I played through the combat and platforming sections,in fast motion. This had the benefit of reducing the amount of sluggishness Drake has, due to the reliance on player mo-cap animation (which was also a problem of Grand Theft Auto 4). Because of the many great movie action scenes, the problems of the combat and platforming came to front and center.

While level design and environments were more creative compared to the first game, that couldn't stop how this game had the same predictable structure of shooting and then "platforming". Therewere still very few portions where the combat and platforming mixed to give the gamean identity. Therewere the Gears of War shooting bits, and then the Tomb Raider "platforming" bits (although that might be a disservice to Tomb Raider). As Naughty Dog themselves said, the "platforming" segmentswere the lulls to relax the player. But to me, I didn't feel relaxed. I wasbored (and slightly offended) by the hand-holding, no-fail-state navigational experience that I couldn't even call platforming without laughing. It's so conventional, you could make a drinking game out of every time Drake landed on a platform and it broke (to prevent backtracking).

The clear disconnect of structure (40% adventure, 60% action) still makes me hold out for when the Uncharted series will have a great "game" on its hands. Oh did I forgot to mention the puzzles? Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw said it best, "puzzles which I usually solve by opening your journal and having it bold-faced tell you the solution; so the only thing being tested is WHETHER OR NOT YOU STILL HAVE EYEBALLS IN YOUR FACE!" There is only one single moment I could remember where you're platforming and in a combat scenario, which is when you're hanging off a street lamp and enemies come from all directions high-and-low. This is the only time where you had to actively platform around the street signsto avoid being shot in the back. Unfortunately for the rest of the game, I felt like I wasmoving from one movie set to another. So, what about the story?

Uncanny Valley

Yeeeaahhh. I thought we moved on fromdeclaring the story of a game can only be shown through cutscenes 11 years ago.Uncharted 2 had few moments where the storytelling and gameplaymelded to memorable effect, such as the Tibetan village or where you're dragging Jeff Gerstmann across street alleys while avoiding incoming gunfire. Most of the storytelling was done through cutscenes, and that was a shame considering how many animations were piled on. However,what becameabigger problem was when another character from the cutscene transitioned into gameplay.

The graphics of Uncharted 2 were breathtaking at times, to the point of photorealism. Which caused much higher expectations for logic. When in that sameabove video of dragging the wounded Jeff you see Elena get hit with an RPG and then again and again, you lose the suspension of disbelief that she's a living, breathing character in this world. Whenever a story character was with you, they couldn't be killed by enemies, yet, in cutscenes they're completely fallable like any human. Of course, micromanaging non-playable characters would be frustrating if they could die, but the game lost its attention to detail that had been revered so much.

It felt like "cutscene over, characters over too". The disconnect is very jarring for such a photorealistic and detailed game. If you're going to be a 3rd person shooter with emphasis on story and characters, you should learn from the very best. Naughty Dog got the narrating through gameplay part right, but forgot to putenough meaningful character interaction during gameplay e.g.when Drake sees a statue and does a mom joke to Flynn while he's trailing behind. To ruin the best storytelling moment in the game (the intro) with a rehash, but with added Drake unwitty narration felt like Naughty Dog was uncomfortable with Drake just shutting up for a second. They further ruined it with how fast in Chapter 15 he's fit for shooting duty. I wouldn't be jumping around with a gunshot wound to the gut.


I'd like to think Max Payne 2 heavily inspired similar hallucinogenic episodesin my personal 2009 Game of the Year (GoTY), Batman: Arkham Asylum. Tangent aside, I'd like Naughty Dog to learn that interactive storytelling is the future with the technology we have now, not mo-capped cutscenes. Max Payne gamesare very cutscene-heavy also, but they also know how to tell a story while you're playing to great emotional effect.

Will the Real Nathan Drake please Stand Up?

After having formed my opinion on how the gameplay isn't anything to write home about and that the storytelling isn't quite there, we conclude on my biggest issue with the game. Nathan Drake, the protagonist of this pulpy adventure. Naughty Dog stated the character was a nod to previous heroes of the pulp genre, from IndianaJones all the way back to the 30's.This is where they fell into another rut.



Nathan Drake is a kitchen sink, borrowing fragments from so many similar characters, he loses his identity. Is Drake a thief, a simple adventurer, aplayer, a psychopathic maniac, a super athletic jumper, and a puzzle-solver? Nope, not buying it. I won't belabour the point about him beingthe most sadistic protagonist in videogaming history, and instead move straight to his inconsistencies. This guy has no problem in starting his own genocide, but he suddenly grows a conscience when he doesn't want to shoot museum guards.He makes ridiculous leaps of faith that you can't gauge because this isn't a platformer, but to always grunt and heave each time? When did chronic smokers learn to be that athletic? During gameplay, he can die off very small heights, but survivemuch higher heights because they're part of a cutscene?!

This massive disconnect in thecharacter from cutscene to gameplayjust didn't jive with me, and made me feel more disconnected than with Niko the psycho in Grand Theft Auto 4. Nathan Drake just isn't a very consistent character, and it doesn't help that Ihate every single unwittyremark that he pulls out of his bag of cliches. I'm sure if you watch Zero Punctuation, you know how someone can hate such a character even more than me.

There's Still Hope, Naughty Dog

I still have hope that Naughty Dog will one day be able to deliver a great game to go along with the great characters, cutscenes, and cinematic moments. I'm a little disgusted in how many GoTY awards this game rewarded, though. It makes a statement that gaming critics would rather award a game that tries to be a movie, instead of just being adamn goodgame like Demon's Souls or Batman: Arkham Asylum. I hope that Uncharted 3 is enough of a great game that I wouldn't mind replaying any part of the game, instead of skipping to the best action scenes like some Hollywood blockbuster.

Good luck, Drake, you'll need it.

This is going to be fun.My criteria for the list is, these films have to be great for a second viewing. Or, 50th.

This film is just so goddamn amazing to me. Unfortunately, I can't even describe the plot of the movie, because it's a huge damn spoiler. Robin Williams is an unpopular poetry teacher (and never-published novelist) who has to deal with the worst son ever, but then he gets the perfect chance to write a great story and become famous. Just that, there's something deeply wrong with the novel. This is the film that has gotten me into watching any dark comedies I can find. World's Greatest Dad is very easy to put as my favourite, because even though I'm not a 50 year old washed-out novelist and poetry teacher, I can connect with the message. Be true to yourself. That might be a cliche, but true honesty hurts, and this film will remind you why. It's just so easy to put this as number 1, because I was moved so much just like last year's Waltz with Bashir.

Not just that, it's one of the most original screenplays I've ever witnessed. It has the most daring plot twist ever, because you never see main characters in a movie kicked out that fast. It's a golden rule of Hollywood to NOT have such a plot twist dealing with a main character, that fast into the movie. I wish I could talk to someone who has seen the movie. From the beginning with "THE END" credit titles to the almost perfect ending, it's just edited so damn well. Every single scene is damn memorable and funny as hell. Borat did that for me, making me love every single scene (yes, even the nude wrestling scene). If a film can make me love it for its whole runtime, not being able to pick out a flaw, I feel I've seen something special. Robin Williams gives an Oscar-worthy performance. That's all that needs to be said.

I can overhype this film so much, because I feel I can defend it to the end of times. It also has a distinct visual look, with the school's colours (red and yellow) being very prominent throughout. I think the only people who might not like the film are people who might not be feeling the deadpan comical tone, or are disgusted with a German scheisser-porn loving pervert of a son, but that's what makes it so special. I love movies where music makes the film. I've also seen it 5 times, and never get bored of it. It's just so damn quotable, and I think that's the mark of a timeless film.

I showed this film to my roommate the other night. Halfway through it he said, and I quote, "This is the most incredible thing I've ever seen; I've never seen anything like this". District 9 might be a critical darling (and overhyped to some people) but just like The Dark Knight, everyone loves an artful action blockbuster movie.

The plot is a perfect sell for anyone. "An alien spaceship comes to Johannesburg in South Africa. But they're not there to take over Earth, they just want to go back home". Africa? Ok, that might be interesting, is what might some person might say. It's not just the incredible documentary feel, the incredible action scenes, and the flawless CGI Prawns-human interaction, that made me love the film. It's the fact there is so much humour to Wikus van de Merwe's character, the way he says the F word, how he loves his job to the point of making great jokes. I love when you start with an unlikeable-but-entertaining protagonist and they become more relatable. I love that moment when he's a fugitive, and he's just staring at the spaceship while hiding in the grass. I love how he transforms as a character and literally. I just love Wikus' journey, and yet he's able to crack jokes at the most inappropriate times.

Sharlto Copley gives an Oscar-worthy performance. Bloody hell does he go the mile in this film. All ranges of emotion. The ending is so heartbreaking. I'm not sure about a sequel, but I can see a lot of potential for the world to expand even more. I also love that this was made on $30 million and that it never shows.

Finally, a relationship movie for guys. The thing with this film, it rings so very true for many young couples, just like how Revolutionary Road does to married couples. My friend said that the "Reality/Expectations" scene was such a stomach-punch. This stands out from other romantic comedies in that, there's an autobiographical truthness to it, that comes from the screenwriter's past. "75%" of it actually happened, and it's always the true stories that give the most creativity to fiction because you can't come up with such stuff.

The second half of the film is where the impact comes, and it leaves its hooks into you. Moving from one day to another, like ( 408 ) to (34) flows so well without breaking up the narrative. How Tom (Joseph Gordon Levitt) misreads the whole relationship gives a brilliant twist, so you don't expect what will happen next. It's also a damn gorgeous film, with the lighting, and colours. Very good feast for the eyes.

Most of all, when the movie ends, it's so inspirational for me thinking about my life. I might even write a short story that is somewhat similar to this film. Just because it's inspirational, this movie will stay with me for a while. Watching this film a 2nd time is even more rewarding for an experience because of the non-linear narrative. Plus, the DVD commentary is a must-listen, because it's just four guys talking about how true the movie can be.

If this was just another post-Iraq war movie, I'd have to compare it to better works. But because of its focus on a bomb worker and the life he has to go through, this film totally sold me because I'd never seen that perspective on a war. He's not really a soldier, he's just like some plumber. Get the job done, that's it. With unforgettable set-pieces like the sniper stand-off, how can I not love it? It's also for all the Call of Duty 4 players out there who remember "Ghillied Up". Like 500 Days of Summer, the creativity feels like it must have been somewhat autobiographical that allow some scenes to be so unforgettable.

This is just a great companion piece to District 9 for its documentary look, and especially to Generation Kill. Jeremy Irons just gives again, an Oscar-worthy performance for someone who has to NOT care about the really tough stuff he has to do, like negotiate with a confused suicide bomber who doesn't want to die. When he develops a relationship for a bootleg movie-selling, confident kid and that takes a very sour turn, you feel what this unemotional soldier must be going through.

Just like District 9, without an out-there protagonist, these films wouldn't be as memorable or critically-loved as they are. They'd be soulless action movies, which is why I have to put up 2 great action blockbuster movies in my top 5, so people know that you can still demand for a great FILM from an action movie.

This is a controversial pick, because people judged the film based on how scary it was to them. Not on the fact of how good the film actually is. And just like The Exorcist, you don't need the film to be scary for it to be loved. Because this is about a couple living in a supposedly haunted house, I think this film will resonate if you are watching it in your home on the DVD. Some people will find different parts scary based on the context. Like in my apartment, I can hear people walking up stairs, so that's the scariest part in the film to me with the running-up-stairs sound effect.

Forget if you found the movie scary, it's just a great film that's foreboding and claustrophobic like never before. Completely believable performances from the 2 main actors root this generic story with a certain pinch of heartbreaking when the end comes. Also, it gives you those "HOW DID THEY DO THAT?!" moments, where you're impressed with the filmmaking. None of the effects feel cheap in a bad way, they just feel like very simple but highly resonant effects. Making footsteps on baby powder. Making an Ouija board set on fire. The time spanning shots. Please also, watch the original ending, and not the "in-your-face" theatrical ending. It's much more subtle, and gave me a lot to think about. How the couple is reduced to a mere statistic on the wall of weird is kind of depressing.

While [Rec] was the best horror movie last year, Paranormal Activity is a great companion piece to it and clearly the only big horror movie success of this year.

Avatar sucked. I was disappointed coming out of the cinema.
Bear in mind, I went into this movie completely fresh. NO REVIEWS, NOTHING OUTSIDE OF THE TRAILERS.
Saw it in 3D, but not IMAX.

Ok, time for pretentious opinions.
$500 million won't buy you an interesting alien world. It won't buy you interesting characters. It won't buy you an interesting script, plot, or story.
Pandora, the world itself, is bereft of creativity. There's hardly a single sci-fi concept here that's kinda new here. It's all prehistoric animals, and blue aliens. And the only blue alien race I care about is this:

Asaris > Navis

Avatar won't be remembered for anything than its visuals. And that's too bad. Because we all used to love James Cameron, no matter how pretentious he has become now.

What did I not like?

This is James Cameron's worst film to date. I know that's easy to say, because all of his films are great. If this was George Lucas, I'd say it's a step up from the prequels. But seriously, what makes James Cameron's sci-fi films stand out? Because they have cool characters and drama to go along with the cool sci-fi concepts and ideas.

My problem with the amazing graphics is (just like Star Wars prequels), if you don't have characters or a story worth investing in, it feels like you're watching a very long videogame cutscene. I was genuinely bored through a good portion of this movie. That's worrying for a film with a world so colourful and dripping in details.

The plot. Why tell Jake Sully to learn how to acclimate to the Navi culture when the military will swoop in anyway when the plan fails? No need for 90 minutes of Jake Sully. When I can predict every single minute of a film, that's just depressing. Jake Sully had a great backstory, with being paraplegic, replacing his dead twin bro. Aaaaaaaand, that's about it. The villain in the film, like really? Even Guile (Street Fighter) looks less stupid! I don't care about any of these characters. The only character worth a damn, even if she's part of the predictable parade, is the Neytiri blue Navi chick. There's some excellent mo-cap work done for her. When she's crying, you feel it.

The Navis. Replace them with Africans, Native Americans, Pocahontas, or any other marginalised tribe, and you've got these aliens figured out. They have a chief, the jockey, the comic relief, the disapproving dad and his hot daughter. It's as generic as it gets.

The sci-fi in this film is just insulting. "Unobtanium", honestly? At least Star Trek tried, with the red matter. You won't even explain how humans jack into the Avatars? Oh yeah, show a generic multi-coloured tunnel. Even the Matrix bothered to show a needle. Ghost in the Shell, a wire. How do the mountains float? I'll admit though, the hair connecting to every living thing was pretty cool.

The mechs? Done way better some years ago, with Matrix Revolutions. Done way better many years ago with Neon Genesis Evangelion.

This is Cameron's Disney movie. In a bad way. The plot, characters, and story are a joke. Good sci-fi films are not good because of their cool ideas or concepts. They're good because there is human drama around the ideas, so we can be attached to the weird stuff. Go watch Solaris, because the idea for it is so weird, and without great characters, story, or drama, that movie would have failed. James Cameron even admits in the Solaris commentary, that he'd never be able to make such a subtle and deeply profound sci-fi film such as it. Oh, how dangerous those words would come to be.

What did I like?

The Navi chick.
The vistas.
Jake's training scenes. The "run, Forrest, RUN!" scene is great.
The 3D. Even though it's not convincing me that all movies need to be in 3D.
Teh graphixxz!

Disappointments of the Year

Aside from the visuals, this is another disappointing blockbuster to add onto the list of 2009. Public Enemies, Wolverine, Watchmen, Transformers 2, Terminator Salvation (I liked it quite a bit), Star Trek (yeah I'm one of those), and now Avatar.

For the people that liked it

Don't watch it again. I don't want you to see the problems with the film, second time round. I don't want my review to ruin the good time you had with the film. You had a great night out with your friends, I don't want to spoil that.
If you enjoyed it, good for you.
I'm already trying to forget this movie, and it's working. Just another forgettable disappointment. Moving on.
This is not me trying to ruin your parade. Honestly, you're the one doing that the second you click on this blog with such a header title like "Avatar - what a disappointment".

What's the sci-fi action film of this year worth watching?

Go buy the District 9 DVD now. It's out!

What else?

Go watch the " 70 Minute review of Star Wars: Phantom Menace". I died in laughter!