Novastream Magazine Issue 12

“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” directed by Gareth Edwards is the latest installment in the Star Wars films franchise which revolves around a group of underdog rebels who bravely attempt to obtain the plans to the Death Star, the iconic moon-sized superweapon that made its famous debut back in “Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope”. The film stars Jyn Erso(Felicity Jones), the primary protagonist who is recruited into the Rebel Alliance by Agent Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) who is accompanied by K-2SO(Alan Tudyk), a reprogrammed Imperial Droid. Together along with others companions, they set out to find Galen Erso(Mads Mikelsen), the Death Star’s main architect and scientist. Along the journey we encounter Chirrut Imwe(Donnie Yen), a blind warrior monk with a strong belief in the Force and Baze Malbus(Jiang Wen), a freelance assassin who acts as a friend and protector to Chirrut as well as Bodhi Rook(Riz Ahmed), a turncoat pilot formerly associated with the Empire.

We also encounter Saw Gerrera(Forrest Whittaker), a Clone Wars veteran and Rebel Extremist with ties to Jyn Erso’s past as well as Director Orson Krennic(Ben Mendelsohn) who functions as the antagonist of the story as a high ranking officer within the Empire. He is tasked with overseeing the Death Star along with Grand Moff Tarkin(Guy Henry). Special mention should be made to Spencer Wilding, Daniel Naprous and James Earl Jones for their collective portrayal of the iconic villain Darth Vader.

recent cartoons like Star Wars: Rebels as well as the Original Trilogy. The third act of the movie in a certain point of view, also paces itself similarly to the older films all the while keeping the same kind of tension while providing a new layer of tragedy to these unsung forgotten heroes in the grand scheme of things as seen with the constant shifting of immersive grand space battles to tense ground action. The set design along with visual effects in terms of practical and CGI and the care taken towards them was rather impressive and deserves praise for the most part. From the very first shot to the last battle on Scarif, the large use of practical effects made it look dirty just like the setting seen in the Original Trilogy. This care taken was also reflected through both costume and prop design, a stark contrast to the Prequel movies. The only thing I would imagine that would enhance this experience would be is if there was an edition of the same film in a 1970’s style colour filter.

Stand-out performances were all seen among the cast and audiences will definitely find themselves enjoying and engaging with various characters who had their time to shine here. One example is Felicity Jones’ outstanding performance of her character Jyn Erso.

Prior to the movie, it would be quite easy for one to assume that Lucasfilm seemed to have a preference of one type of protagonist for this current wave of perpetual films. On the surface, both Rey and Jyn Erso from the trailers and general appearance could look and act like similar characters to the point where it’s a rehash. However both characters are developed quite differently. Rey in The Force Awakens has this sense of wonder about the Galaxy in front of her however with Erso, she is a battle-hardened young woman who eventually rises to leadership in taking the fight to the Empire. It’s nice to see that the folk in charge of all this remember to keep their characters different.

The main takeaway from the movie is that while this does feel like a Star Wars movie, it emphasises the lived-in feel of the universe and really rang true to the gritty war movie without the fantasy elements for the large part thus differentiating itself from the other seven movies. In addition, we have new interesting characters that find themselves in a different kind of moral alignment than what we are used to. From start to finish, it follows some familiar beats and pacing whether it would be misdirecting Stormtroopers or Diego Luna’s portrayal of Rebel Agent Cassian Andor sneaking into the enemy base via disguise similar to also added something new (continued next page)

After the rampant success of Harry Potter, I’ll admit even I was surprised when Warner Bros announced a series based on the Fantastic Beasts companion book, trying to recapture the magic (pun definitely intended!) that made a whole generation fall in love with JK Rowling’s stories. Set in New York in the 1920’s is a completely different setting for the Potter-

verse and while remaining skeptical, I was quickly won over by the charming characters, well thought out story and of course fantastic beasts that light up the screen everytime they grace it. The setup is the same although instead of Muggles they are called Nomaj in the American magician term, their is a evil wizard rising to power and some unknown events happening

Alaisdair Leith on the Potter-less prequel starring Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne in New York City start occuring when Newt (Eddie Redmayne) steps foot from England into the city.

Written by Rowling and directed by Harry Potter veteran David Yates, Fantastic Beasts centers around Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) who when entering the city with zza briefcase full of fantasy creatures. When the briefcase is accidentally changed with that of a potential bakers, Newt must set out on a journey to retrieve the creatures that escaped from the briefcase. When he is seen by ex-auror Goldstein (Katherine Watson) she attempts to take them to the Ministry Of Magic USA and when her superiors don’t believe her, she takes them home so the non-maj can recover after being bit by one of the creatures. They are then introduced to Goldstein’s sister Queenie (Alison Sudol) a mind reader who has never met a non-maj becomes infatuated with Kowalski (Dan Fogler).

The first half of the film hints at who the villains could be, there is a family of witch hunting preachers led by the terrifying Mary Lou Barebone (Samantha Morton) and is held up by her creepy adopted-son Credence (Ezra Miller). The head of the wizarding secret police Percival Graves (Colin Farrell) is more than meets the eye and then there is Henry Shaw Senior (Jon Voight) a non-maj media mogul who wields power in politics and the media. If that wasn’t enough there is a rogue Obscurus, a black haze that manifests itself when a child is forced to repress their wizardly powers.

The cast work together perfectly, the main four work extremely well together and fell into their characters completely. Redmayne is perfect as the geeky and awkward lead who is not good with people, Fogler is the perfect counterpart as the thoroughly likeable Kowalski with his love of pastry and adventure. He also serves as the catalyst for the characters to explain everything going on around them that we don’t understand in the magic world. Watson and Sudol are perfect as sisters with different personalities, their chemistry with Newt and Kowalski provides some of the best parts of the film. Colin Farrell seems a bit lost in this film, his character flails around a bit and doesn’t really offer up much till the end of the film.

Special effects wise this film showcases just how far things have come since the Harry Potter series, the beasts and magical creatures are beautifully animated, and while there are a few blatantly obvious green screen moments, the majority of the film manages to whip up the wonder and excitement of its Potter predecessors. Speaking of creatures, I did like that the film was split up into two different storylines that intertwine at the end, one that serviced the purpose of this film well, and one that lays the groundwork for however many sequels WB feels they can milk out of this franchise and name. If the standard of the future films are anything like this one, then this is only a positive thing. I could barely wipe the smile off my face during this movie, it has some incredibly entertaining and humorous moments, while providing a story that is well thought out and inviting us back into the wizarding world in style.

Credit needs to be given to JK Rowling who acknowledges that her Harry Potter audience are now adults and the film is really geared towards that audience (and receives a M15 rating notice appropriately) with a elf lounge cocktail bar scene, brutal and violent deaths and adult themes, Rowling openly shows her connection with her readers and provides an appropriate story for them.

Overall Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them blew away my expectations for the movie and offered so much more than a simple cash in. It was funny and heartwarming and proved why it should exist and laid the groundwork for future installments and interest in this incredible world that Rowling has created. Yates does play it a little safe with Potter-style direction but I think he needed to here to secure the future of the series. Even though the series is set in a different time and country, it still has the charm that Harry Potter managed to have without compromising on the story.

If you are at all hesitant like I was to see this film don’t be, it is so much better than any of those horrible trailers that were put out and will please even the most skeptical of Potter fans that this film and franchise deserve a place in our lives.

to this burgeoning franchise. Normally the movies tend to show a pretty clear line of what is good and what is bad. Outside of the movies, in books and comics this line tends to blur itself a little and characters have moral alignments in shades of grey. However in this movie, Andor shows us a much shadier side of his occupation and gives us a morally grey character who is willing to kill an innocent if it means victory for the Alliance. It really emphasises the war-time aspect of the movie and shows a different side to the factions we’ve known for nearly 40 years. His character arc in the movie does prove itself to be satisfying as his time with Jyn inspires him to change his ways and take charge of “what he shall become” to echo words of the trailer. Similarly, Saw Gerrera a Rebel Extremist also adds to this and shows another side of the people we originally perceived as “the good guys”. Gerrera originally made his debut in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. There he was a brash young warrior that was willing to go that extra step and do his own thing much to the chagrin of others. Here in his first live action portrayal by Forrest Whittaker, we see an aged version of that same person. We see a person who treats a new turncoat with his own brand of torture, something you wouldn’t normally see with “the good guys”.

Alongside the action, Chirrut, Baze and K-2SO bought their own brand of humour and balanced out the heavier aspects. It was a treat to see the humourous interplay as well as chemistry between Chirrut and Baze. Both bought their own brand of action be it their own style of martial arts or to just shoot and blow up everything in sight. Praise should also be credited to Alan Tudyk’s portrayal of the bluntnatured droid K-2SO who provided much of the film’s humour as well and had the whole theatre laughing.

In some ways, he’s kind of like the anti-C3PO. Because of this, it added to the tragedy of how their respective arcs wrapped up, which we all saw coming one way or another.

top dog among the Empire with the Death Star. One quote from Darth Vader pretty much rang true during his time where he told him not to “choke on his own aspirations”. Fans going into this movie would already expect Krennic to die given his lack of presence in the original trilogy and as soon his ultimate demise arrived under the circumstances he was dealt coupled with him being a victim of Moff Tarkin’s power play, it’s hard not to feel sorry for him being under that sort of “survival of the fittest” regime. The real standout performance from the Empire’s side of the movie would most definitely be Darth Vader. Audiences and fans alike would cheer as Darth Vader truly shone as a villain doing classic actions one would see him do especially at the last act. Admittedly, I went into this with low expectations having heard a number of early reviews with regards to Vader. It was quickly alleviated after. Once again, care was taken in making Darth Vader come to life as with most other aspects of the movie. The same cannot be said for Moff Tarkin.

One thing I see films try to do when maintaining continuity involving actors that have passed away is the use of CGI implantation of faces onto actors that somewhat have a similar appearance. While this succeeded for Furious 7 and the last minute of the movie involving a previous Original Trilogy character, it did not succeed here with Moff Tarkin. As soon as Tarkin appeared in the movie, it was hard not to cringe. It almost looked like if somebody had bad plastic surgery. If I were in charge I would have found away around this by making him a blue hologram for a large part of the movie until the last moment.

Using this kind of CGI should be used sparingly until technology progresses itself to the point where it can pull it off.

Overall I found Gareth Edwards’ film “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” a thoroughly entertaining action scifi adventure. It brings something old and something new to the table with regards to the Star Wars film franchise in a number of different aspects. Given Ben Mendelsohn’s portrayal of Director Orson Krennic that Lucasfilm wants to create an indefinite number also deserves praise in making myself and others feel of movies set in this universe, I do hope they choose a sense of pity toward him in his story arc to be the Edwards as a director again.

The Original Rebel Carrie Fisher passed away December 27, aged sixty She was always a fierce advocate for what was right years old. and good in the world. In one of her last interviews Fisher took her dog on set for the whole show, sucked She was an actor, writer, producer and as her heillium and slammed Trump’s laughable few minutes Wikipedia page notes, a humourist. The definition of in the presidency. a humourist is a little redundant - it’s a humourous writer, performer or artist. How lovely that it was When George Lucas sat down Fisher, Hamill and Ford added to her page, and I’d love to think she had a hand at Star Wars Celebration and told them all he was in its inclusion. selling Lucasfilm and a new film was greenlight Fisher was the first to say yes, on the condition her daughter Fisher always seemed like the least serious one in the Billie recieved a role. room. In the neverending press for Star Wars: The Force Awakens she was the indifferent nugget between Fisher’s filming is complete for the eighth episode, her ‘space twin’ Mark Hamill and her one time beau so it is likely Princess Leia will pass away in cannon Harrisson Ford. between the eighth and ninth installment.

Her latest biography revealed their affair on the set of Or General Organa, if you prefer. The down-to-Earth Star Wars, and while it morally wrong, it leant itself to royalty that went through hell and back in the original a fantastic tweet: series, then once more in the sequels. She lost her planet and everyone she ever loved, and then she lost “Carrie Fisher the way most women want to. Saying her child to the Dark Side and with it her marriage to they fucked Harrison Ford in his prime” Han Solo.

Yet her character tirelessly persists to the next Rebel base, countering the Empire or the First Order or whatever new threat rears its head.

Fisher was much the same. After experimenting with marajuana too early in her life she became paranoid, and the pot turned to hallucinogens, which was treated with electroshock. In a interview with Stephen Fry crudely called ‘The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive’ she revealed she was bi-polar.

And yet she was the coolest, friendliest and most relaxed person in the room. She conquered her demons and died peacefully amongst friends. But this is Hollywood, so even her selfless last moments were not private for long.

“Make sure my daughter is whole” Carrie never craved her parents’ fame, but a role in Star Wars thrust it upon her. She would accomplish a thousand more things in her life, especially in her writing, but to millions around the world she is their tough-as-nail space princess. RIP Carrie.

Two of Hollywood’s finest make a campaign for Academy Awards. Words by Alaisdair Leith.

Remember musicals back in the 1940’s and 50’s? Well maybe you don’t but your parents might and your grandparents definitely will! La La Land is a throwback to these musicals with a modern rom-com twist that successfully blends the two genre’s together making everything that is old new again. Two lead actors Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling have impeccable chemistry and help transport the audience to a style of film making that nods beautifully to the past and remains relevant for current audiences.

Mia (Emma Stone) is an barista/wannabe actress working on the Warner Bros. lot who after a series of hilarious auditions (one of the best montage’s in the movie) hears some jazz music in a club from the street and connects with Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) who is a down on his luck musician wanting to reignite the genre of jazz music and can’t seem to hold down a steady job long enough to make a plan.

After a not so stellar meeting the two find their common denominator and the typical rom-com tropes kick in and move the film along with plenty of show stopping moments and an unforgettable soundtrack that will be in your head for weeks after the film is over so be prepared to purchase the soundtrack or add it to your playlist on Spotify. Both Stone and Gosling have pipes to carry the film in both duo and solo performances in show stopping numbers.

The chemistry between Stone and Gosling has been showcased before in Crazy Stupid Love and Gangster Squad, but this film really solidifies that bond while also showcasing how well they work on their own and then come together to compliment each other and feel like an actual couple in shared moments. It really is a struggle for most films to get right and these two are clear masters of their craft and this shines through in this film.

La La Land moves into masterpiece territory when halfway through the rom-com trope ends with a kiss and you think that the movie is over, from here it moves into a final act that sees the characters fully explored and developed as both single entities and as a couple. It is in this final act that the film earns its stripes as masterpiece, intricately exploring Sebastian’s dream coming true and the sacrifices he must make to achieve this, both professionally and personally, when Mia hits it big in the acting world and her role reversal with ordering from the new barista’s on the Warner Bros lot, alternative timelines are explored and the payoff is a rewarding close to what could be seen as a horribly predictable film.

Overall La La Land reunites Stone and Gosling elevating them to the performances of their career. By combining a stellar musical inspired soundtrack with old school filmmaking techniques and a twist on a modern rom com elevate La La Land beyond nostalgic margin to modern day masterpiece. An opening number “Another Day Of Sun” sets the tone for the rest of the film and shows that musicals can still exist in todays superhero saturated society of films.

Words by Mark Halyday

Office Christmas Party is the sleeper hit of this holiday season. It’s the counter offer to adults over the Star Wars hullaballoo (or ones simply waiting for Episode VIII) and it shines.

Every film is a business exercise and while it has proved to be a slight surprise of a smash at the box office it has done some great legwork for the studio. All the little stars are a little more visible thanks to their small part in this hit.

It’s a mistake to lump it in with Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Day and Mother’s Day as the fourth attempt to do an American Love Actually-esque holiday movie. In fact it’s a Jason Bateman movie layered with enough subplots to disguise itself as an ensemble.

The cast carry the film, which is why so much of the review is focussing on each individual performance. So much of this movie was on-set improvision and consultation that they deserve all the praise. The direction was average and the plot was nothing revolutionary. It’s the one-off jokes and actor chemistry that make this shine.

The script also leans heavily on rising star TJ Miller. After a lengthy career in voice over acting and wide acclaim as sardonic sounding board Weasel in Deadpool it’s strange to watch him shift into the spotlight. Expect a mediumrange comedy to bear his name in the next few years, once he’s done with Speilberg’s much-hyped Ready Player One.

Olivia Munn needs a better agent. After working in bits and pieces roles for close to a decade her excitement on the X-Men: Apocolypse press tour was palpable. While that was not the breakthrough hit she hoped, hopefully this will be. There weren’t too many laugh out loud moments that stood out but her chemistry with Bateman was like Bateman’s frequent collaborator Jennifer Anniston is Bill Hader in Trainwreck - unexpecting, interesting, and peppered in for good measure, ensuring some good press something to signal the future perhaps? and a slice of her old demographic’s attendence. Anniston’s been trying to shead her iconic ‘Friends’ alter ego Rachel Rob Coddry was also there. He’s the bald middle-aged for over a decade and she’s so close to suceeding. This is a weird guy in a lot of things, most successfully Hot Tub Tim strong, relentless but ultimately fun and hilarious villian Machine and less successfully Hot Tub Time Machine 2. that legitamises the threats facing our heroes.

He does his normal schtick and they try and pair him off romantically with Kate McKinnon.

The near-certain branch closure prompts Bateman and Miller to throw a glorious party to endear a prospective It’s like pairing Mila Kunis with Donald Trump. He is buyer. Hijinks occur. Simple premise taken to the extremes comedically obliterated by her presence. with inter-office romance, drugs, alcohol, prostitutes a kidnapping and so much more.

And if the rest of this review is listing the virtues of Kate McKinnon than so be it. Legendary in her Saturday Night The film takes a touch too long setting the table before the Live impersonation of Hilary Clinton, acting opposite big bash. The trailer promises a party of epic proportions comedic heavyweights Larry David and Alec Baldwin, and it delivers around the thirty minute mark. It sets up McKinnon is the next big thing. a lot of jokes and even a bit of the unexpected emotional payoff. It’s necessary and it makes the movie better.

Her sharp but unassuming jabs punctuate the film.

It’s incredulous to think that a movie so focussed on But nobody was really expecting it to be as good as it was, debauchery can get so many laughs from their HR lady. A so waiting for the proverbial bass to drop was harder than role that could have gone the way of Roz from Monsters it should have been.

Inc gives some of the biggest laughs in the theater. And watching her opposite veterans Bateman and Anniston Once Bateman, Miller and Anniston were assembled the was tremendous. studio began to reach out for medium-waged fantastic comedians. It sounds so clinical. It’s hard not to look at Everyone is going to latch onto a particular actor and find the poster and hear the casting crew sitting around the their journey the most interesting. There’s a lot going on table. and the frenetic energy keeps the movie awake. If it wasn’t so rabid in it’s pursuit of laughs the hidden emotion might There’s Dopinder from Deadpool, Trainwreck supporting actually poke through. costar Vanessa Bayer, genre girl Jamie Chung, a couple of Veep actors and one of the slaves from Mad Max: Fury Office Christmas Party is unexpectedly fantastic and the Road. It sounds like a mess but it works* perfect remedy to overhyped, overspoiled blockbusters. *except for Chung. She didn’t do much at all.

Alaisdair Leith on the new song and dance from Illumination lumination have made a massive mark on animation with mega hits like Despicable Me and The Secret Life Of Pets, so the latest non sequel Sing has a lot to live up to (particularly after the huge financial success of The Secret Life Of Pets earlier this year) While the previews didn’t give too much away from the basic plot, Sing reveals a well crafted story with high class animation fueled by an eclectic soundtrack that will have something for everyone’s tastes. Illumination’s last movie pandered only to children, fortunately Sign is injected with enough adult humour and throwback references to keep the whole family entertained.

Sing revolves around the character of Buster Moon, a koala voiced by Matthew McConaughey, who lives in a humanimal city and owns a theatre. When he runs into financial trouble he devises a plan to restore the theatre to its former glory with a talent competition and thanks to a clerical error with Moon’s hilarious assistant Miss Crawly. an accidental prize of $100,000.00.

The rest of the contestants are made up of a pig housewife voiced by Reese Witherspoon, Meena an extremely shy elephant voiced by Tori Kelly, Mike a wise talking mouse voiced by Seth MacFarlane, Ash a lovestuck teen voiced by Scarlett Johansson, Gunter a flamboyant pig with an accent voiced by Nick Kroll and a gangster gorilla in training Johnny voiced

by Taron Egerton. While we do get to spend a bit of time with these characters, they could have had less and focused solidly on just a few to get the balance just right. Don’t get me wrong each of these characters brought something different to the story but with a family movie running time, it wasn’t enough to fully invest in all of the characters and caring about what happens to them.

Moon however does escape this fate as the character with the most screen time, his plight to save his theatre and produce a quality show and live up to father’s memory is well played out and the charaacter has enough charm and wit to carry the story. Other supporting characters of note are Moon’s chilled out sheep friend/ investor Eddie voiced by John C Reilly and credit to the scene stealer Nanna voiced by Jennifer Saunders who helps lift things in the middle when things are looking bleak. The most laughs come from Moon’s puns as well as Miss Crawley and the glass eye gag that never gets old.

The music is an eclectic blend of recent pop hits like Shake It Off from Taylor Swift and Firework from Katy Perry, to 80’s rock ballads with some heavy metal (child appropriate of course) that when combined with hilariously animated animals will make a very shareable YouTube video. Queue the mini foxes who only sing K-Pop and dress like they are from harajuku (seriously it is a spin off that we can get behind!)

Surprisingly the story starts off with the typical tropes, theatre going out of business, owner comes up with some big delusional idea to try and save it while fending off the bank who is trying to repossess the building and previous employees who haven’t been paid. What makes this one different is a plot twist that completely devastates Moon and challenges his dedication to his family and dreams. It is not typical for a kids movie to head down this road and it does it so well and unexpectedly that it works within the confines of the story.

While Sing may face a lot of boxing day competition with the likes of Moana from Disney and the sequel from Red Dog, it holds a worthy place in animation films of 2016 and is well worth your time and cinema dollars if these movies are your forte. The star studded cast bring the characters and animals to life and create a community (unfortunately not one that we ever find out the name of!) for viewers to fall in love with.

Overall Sing delivers on its promise of a star studded soundtrack with loveable anthromorphic characters combined with a well paced story and soundtrack to match. Kids will love the wide variety of animals and the slapstick comedy littered throughout this film, adults will enjoy the wink wink moments and below the belt humour with the eclectic soundtrack that will appeal to any taste. The charming cast and toe-tapping performances showcase a different side of Illumination’s work.

“Moana” directed by Ron Clements and John Musker is the latest animated musical film produced by Disney. The movie centres around a young daughter of a chief of a Polynesian tribe by the name of Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) who against the wishes of her father Chief Tui Waialiki (Temura Morrison), ventures out beyond her island to reunite a mystical relic given by her grandmother Tala Waialiki(Rachel House) to the goddess Te Fiti. Accompanying her is the the reluctant shapeshifting demi-god Maui (Dwayne Johnson) and her pet rooster Heihei (Alan Tudyk) where together, they face the trials of a fantastical sea-faring journey such as sentient coconut pirates named Kakamora and giant talking undersea crabs like Tamatoa (Jemaine Clement) in order to restore natural balance for Moana’s island home of Motunui which was plagued by non-viable food sources.

save her people who could stand her ground with super-powered folk and deities. It’s an entertaining subversion as you now have the plucky teenager who usually falls into the sidekick category paired with the superhero-type in Maui.

What also makes this film stand out from the other Disney films is the use of the Pacific Islanderinspired music. This brilliantly diversifies itself from other Disney films that usually set itself in a European setting. Notable examples include “We Know the Way” as well as “You’re Welcome” which humourously showcases Dwayne Johnson’s vocal skills. However “Shiny” sung by Jemaine Clement did not grab me as much as I would have liked enhancing my disliking for how the character of Tamatoa was handled. “How Far I’ll Go” sung by Auli’i Cravalho enhances the amount of retreading into familiar territory this movie sails toward. It For the most part, the story and characters were tries to push itself as the next “Let It Go” but it sadly following typical Disney film territory retreading capsizes (once again puns aren’t intended). familiar story beats and tropes for an easily digestible two hour movie suited for families with Another triumph this film achieves would be the young children. Themes such as forging your gorgeous detail that was placed into the animation own pathway against familial wishes are nothing and visual effects. Last year, Disney released “The new for these type of Disney animated movies as Good Dinosaur” which one of the boasting features many times during the movie, I have found myself was the immensely detailed animation which adds reminded of movies such as Brave and Frozen as a lot of environmental realism. This continues to do well as most famously The Little Mermaid also so within this movie. Great detail was placed into directed by Ron Clements and John Musker thirty the environmental surroundings whether it would years earlier. Where this film succeeds and what be Moana’s island home of Motunui or the ocean carries the film’s weight is the dynamic between itself or with the goddess of Te Fiti.

Moana and Maui.

Overall, while I found Moana to be overly familiar Both Moana and Maui present a subversive and in some aspects, there’s enough there for the movie funny relationship throughout the film’s duration. to stand on its own legs and sail itself forward with The humour doesn’t go overboard (no pun families and different audiences. If I were to add intended) and made itself entertaining enough for anything to the movie, I would add more scenes children and adults to enjoy. Kids especially young involving her family and the rest of her island girls can also walk away with another strong female tribe at her home to give much needed character role model to the roster as Moana presents herself development and stakes to her quest in more than as a capable, determined leading hero that’s out to just a dream sequence.

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Thanura Ravindra on Disney’s last for 2016

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Netflix distrubites Obama biopic that does neither of them justice.

Words by Mark Halyday

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Barack Obama is historic in his accomplishments and remains widely popular at the end of his second term in office. He is younger than his peers, progressive and endlessly charismatic. Film studios are greenlighting biopics left and right about different aspects of his life.

Barry is the first to receive widespread distribution.

After dominating the Emmys the heads of Netflix have turned their head towards the Oscars. It seems a little against their business model to invest in some of the rawer subject matter the voting board leads towards like last year’s Idris Elba vehicle Beasts of No Nation - so a turn to a modern figure like Obama makes a lot of business sense.

Only this isn’t the Obama we’ve all come to know and love. Barry is about the time of his life that the future president was spreading his wings and discovering himself. For the entire movie he calls himself Barry.

Even his mother calls him Barry. Maybe the First Lady still calls him Barry to this day, but it was jarring and uncomfortable to hear what sounds like a comformist name for the entirity of the film.

And for all the faith we place in the leader of the free world, it’s again worrying to see his flaws on full display. However flaws and failings are the things that teaches us so every time the main character is wounded emotionally or physically there’s at least a tale to be learned.

It’s hard to tell what is fact and what is fiction. The film is too clean for my liking, bookended with letters from his estranged father. It dives deep into his roots Hawaii, Indonesia, Kenya and more - and demonstrates the strong foundation for a president.

As Obama tries to find himself in New York City he intersects with all different parts of culture. He’s close friends with an Indian, lives with a white guy and even gets a tour of the projects by a black guy. He dines with high culture and has a gun held up to him on a walk home. And it’s hurtful to watch some of his trademark optimism fall by the wayside over the course of the film.

Perhaps that is virtue of growing up, perhaps not.

The narratives leaves Obama ready for his first step to greatness. He’s collected enough experiences to begin to form his own. The credits roll and... what were we supposed to feel? Hope? Certainly not fulfillment.

Perhaps Michelle reignited it. The First Lady is absent for the whole film, immediately creating the prequel problem. While Charlotte is a well-written and likable character she does not compare to Michelle. The audience knows their pairing is doom and never fully commits. Charlotte and Obama’s relationship ends in the final five minutes of the film and feels a bit of a wasted effort.

The lead pair of Devon Terell and Anya Taylor-Joy are commendable. They hold together this scatterbrain script with all their might, and Terell’s likeness to Obama is eerie.

It’s a very slow and disparate collection of scenes tied together. The direction is neither extraordinary or cringeworthy. It’s just there.

Would the movie have benefitted from date stamps in the bottom left corner? Did it need more time in the writer’s room or the editor’s den? Something doesn’t sit right about Barry and it’s a shame. It was one of my Racism plays a small, awful part. The sparity makes it must-watch titles this month. hurt more - with two choice exchanges highlighting that it has always and will always be an issue. Charlotte It’s not terrible and still recommendable, especially if also appears to be Obama’s first inter-racial relationship, you’re partial to the outgoing President. It just could challenging him further. have been better.

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TV: A SERIES OF UNFOURTUNATE EVENTS - 13TH JAN ONE DAY AT A TIME - 6TH JAN YOU ME HER - 18TH JAN FRONTIER - 28TH JAN TERRACE START: ALOHA STATE - 24TH JAN COIN HEIST - 6TH JAN CLINICAL - 13TH JAN TAKE THE 10 - 20TH JAN IBOY - 27TH JAN

NEW EPISODES WEEKLY: RIVERDALE SEASON 1 SHADOWHUNTERS - THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS SEASON 2

If you’re not sure what to make of Netflix’s The OA, then you’re not alone. Following the journey of Prairie Johnson, a blind girl who suddenly turns up on bridge after an unexplained seven year sabbatical, and with her sight intact, leaves one scratching their head in the first episode.

Straight away, you interpret the show as mysterious, if not, somewhat strange.

The television series seems to have come from nowhere; its equally mysterious script lacks a strong protagonist who is as confused as the audience. Created by Zal Batmanglij who is also the director and executive producer, The OA is still somewhat intriguing, but only in the sense of bemused amazement that this show ever hit the Netflix screen.

Prairie, as the storyline slowly reveals, has suffered a near death experience, with which she then was bestowed with powers during her time between life and death. In the first episode, you catch a glimpse of the all mystical Prairie after she is mauled by a Rottweiler during a vicious attack, only to subdue the dog and tickle it behind the ears later. The suspended fantasy turns into the ludicrous with hollow narrative and drawn out storytelling.

Aside from the sometimes stunning cinematography created by Lol Crawley, The OA is unlikely to become a hit aside from a few cult followers.

Overall, this isn’t a show that you’ll hurry to binge watch. In fact, I’m feeling generous with a two star rating.

INVAS Brittany Howarth on the CW megacrossover

The third season of ‘Murder’ raises its game.

Mark Halyday on bringing back the intiial spark and that twist.

DCTV fans have been eager for a massive crossover ever since Supergirl joined the CW. But was it what we were all hoping for?

DCTV’s first four-way crossover is another consequence of the Flashpoint, which has become a beacon of terror for aliens called the Dominators. To save the planet from a threat out of this world, Barry brings Supergirl to Earth 1 and summons the Legends from the folds of time. With Team Arrow ready to lend a hand, these heroes band together to form something else…

Justice League: TV! As fun as the crossover was, DCTV has tried to do too much. The previous crossover had similar problems, especially as it was the launching point for Legends of Tomorrow and Hawkgirl. Although this crossover didn’t bring us any new characters or shows, the monstrosity that is an alien invasion is far too ambitious for television right now. In fact, I was hoping the crossover would have everyone banding together to fight the time traveling villains on Legends: Damien Darhk and Reverse Flash.

But instead we got ET.

(Supergirl’s Medusa Virus, anyone?). Especially with Flashpoint as their main incentive. This certainly reminds the viewers of how devastating Barry’s choice was.

However, the audience doesn’t really need a reminder.

Not with Cisco spelling it out every scene he’s in. Cisco’s consistent battering of Barry certainly gets tiring, no matter how right he is. But his little jabs at Barry weren’t the only character flaws in this crossover.

With Cisco, Curtis, and Felicity blabbering nonsense within Team Tech Support, it just got too much. Cisco and Felicity alone were enough, as seen when they travelled together on the Wave Rider.

Wild Dog’s sudden hatred of meta-humans was also a negative. Never has he shown the slightest hatred toward Ragman, and to suddenly distrust the two new powers on the scene (Supergirl and Flash) is ridiculous.

Especially with how quickly it was resolved.

But with a cast this size, there will always be problems with character. It’s too difficult to give each one the attention they deserve, and DCTV’s attempt is actually quite admirable. The biggest saving grace are Heatwave’s The motivation behind the Dominators certainly created interactions with Supergirl. Before watching, I was something fresh. Their fear of meta-humans and their more excited for how Green Arrow and White Canary attempt to only destroy the sub-race was fascinating would react, but Heatwave took the cake.

SION! With this over arcing story across four shows, it was Arrow that best stayed true to its voice and gave us something amazingly heart wrenching. Wild Dog aside, the writers created a brilliant celebration for Arrow’s 100th episode while tying it in with the insanity that was aliens. Stephen Amell and Willa Holland shone in this episode as the audience was reminded with just how much they have lost.

In fact, this episode was the best performance either of them has ever put forward on the show.

However, looking back, this ‘four-way’ crossover was really just three. The random portal trails and Barry appearing with Cisco at the end of Supergirl doesn’t really count. Imagine if the pair appeared earlier? Supergirl could have agreed to help them, but first she needed to settle the problems in her city, leading to another Supergirl/ Flash crossover. And who would ever say no to that?

I mean, did you see their fight in The Flash episode? Brilliant.

In the end, these crossovers are really just huge fan service, and DCTV has done just enough to satisfy their fans. Some characters received respectable amounts of screen time, while others were wasted. And I don’t think aliens, like Dominators, are visually ever a good idea for TV. Especially when we get some pretty neat ones over on Supergirl. But the crossover is still worth a watch, especially the Arrow episode.

Our team has recapped all four CW superhero seasons next >>>>>>>>>>

Words by Alaisdair Leith

I know I know, calm down! Get off your high horse, I know that The Flash season 1 was amazing...I know season 1 of Legends Of Tomorrow was mediocre and let’s not even get started on Arrow last season...Supergirl had a great first season but never really reached the heights (pun intended!) that the Flash or Arrow did in its inaugral season.

That being said there was enough characters and comic book references to warrant a second season and after a rumoured and then confirmed move to the home of DCTV “The CW” things were looking up for the girl of steel. However not all was good, the relocation from Los Angeles to Vancouver forced Calista Flockhart (Cat Grant) to step back as a guest appearance rather than full cast member. While some would believe that this is to the detriment of the show (and honestly I could write a whole article on this right now!) the show added some new heads of Catco that have shaken up the Cat/Kara comfort zone that has changed the dynamic and will better the character of Kara.

Not only did we get some new human cast members, but also finally after what can only be described as a small screen miracle, we got a full blown version of Superman on the small screen played by the deliciously dreamy Tyler Hoechlin who gives a Richard Donner/Christopher Reeve version of the character that beautifully balances the dark and broody cinematic version played

by Henry Cavill. We have previously only ever known Superman’s existence by instant messenger with Kara and while it was a cute little nod to the character, seeing him here in the first two episodes is nothing short of glorious. Hoechlin easily fits in with the cast and wins any nay-sayers over with his kind and gentle demeanor and his old school language (lickety split!) Some of his best scenes are when he is playing the adorkable Clark Kent and discussing life with Kara, it humanises them and makes you enjoy them as the opposite to their counterparts.

Villains have never ever been Supergirl’s strong point, the forgettable and shockingly bad ones like Indigo and Livewire were among the worst, and while some eyebrows were raised when Brenda Strong said the words “Metallo”. They managed to turn it around with a threatening menace that

actually warranted four superheroes to take down (no spoilers I promise!) Hopefully as we now have Project Cadmus out in the open, we may see more threatening villains come to light this season.

Speaking of heroes, Supergirl had the big reveal of Jon Jonez last season aka Martian Manhunter and now with the addition of Superman, the show have revealed that James Olsen will become the Guardian at some point this season it will be good to have a human vigilante fighting alongside Agent Alex Danvers in the DEO. If that wasn’t enough episode 3 shocked viewers (especially Brittany!) with the reveal of Megan Morse aka Miss Martian in a scene straight out of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. The best part is that the audience knew it was coming but managed to not leak when, so the reveal was that much sweeter. It will be interesting to see how these characters interact and where they go from here and what this means for Team Supergirl.

Guest stars have headlined the first few episodes of Supergirl, episode 3 in particular saw star of Wonder Woman Lynda Carter guest star as the President of the USA and had some beautiful nods to the star. The final scene of the character and the Alien Registration Act sounds like something straight out of the X Men comics and if they can translate this to the small screen we could be in for a great season if Lynda Carter chooses to return.

Before Supergirl, The Flash was seen as the comic book show that had light and laughter, especially when compared with the dark and violent tone of Arrow. The characters of Supergirl larger than life and this feels truly like a completely different Earth we are on, making it completely believable for this alternate universe to exist in parallel with the others. I can’t tell you how many times I have laughed, cried, smiled, giggled and gasped during this show. It has been such an emotional journey in this show and to see it taken to the next level in season 2, this could raise the show to new heights.

If you know anything about comics and these characters you will be in complete comic book fan heaven with Supergirl. The combination of characters that we haven’t seen on the small screen before combined with some great writing (in season 2!).

Words by Mark Halyday

2015 was the year of the Flash. Grant Gustin’s scarlet speedster dominated nerdy conversation as the best superhero show on television. Fans were so on board with the CW’s first spinoff from the Arrowverse that they is - and remains - an uproar he will not suit up along Batfleck and co in the cinematic universe.

2016 still had its moments. The back end of season two introduced Wally West and Jesse Quick prepowers and featured a rollicking time on Earth-2.

The death of Barry’s father was another emotional gutpunch that ultimately resulted in the television adapted of renowned comic Flashpoint. That’s where season three picks up.

of events can be trusted. It lends a lot of narritive flexibility - like with Caitlin - and that’s handy for a show that deals so heavily in time travel.

Other highlights include the genisis of Kid Flash and Jesse Quick. The second season dangled the idea of two more speedsters repeatedly and then delivers quickly in the first episodes back.

The balancing act of so many brilliantly portrayed characters is dazzling. Jay Garrick’s introduction to the show was sublime and his sparing reappearances have been truly epic. Two Flashes on screen, complete with a third episode with Mark Hamill.

Can it get any better?

And then it stops. The Flash has became stuck in one place and it can’t shake it off. Everything is folding back to Flashpoint and it’s impossible to move forward. It’s not the worst place to be in - but it feels as though we’ve been here an episode or two too long.

They’ve even managed to have their cake and eat it too, by keeping Tom Cavanagh on the show but dissolving any kind of mentorship role. HR takes some warming up to but his levity is so necessary at this point.

There’s also some plot repeat from sibling shows, with the Barry/Cisco’s arc mirroring a season four Oliver/Diggle. At least it’s given fan favourite Carlos Valdes something more to do.

And the writers fixed Iris. Not that there was anything wrong with her outside of predestination of the comic books. The evolution of their relationship is finally complete, though it might be too soon to make her the narrative crux of the season. Still, it signals Barry’s adulthood to stop lamenting his dead parents.

Savitar is not a compelling villian - yet. There’s Maybe it’s that the fans know the showrunner’s all sorts of theories on this one that haven’t paid routine. Once again the season’s Big Bad makes dividends. My theory? The Savitar thing falls to the his first fully-fledged appearance in episode six, side for a little for a Grodd/Gorilla City midseason and once again the new costar is in on his grand special. scheme. Props to Tom Felton though - Harry Potter’s Draco Malfoy is both a talented actor and Judging the episodes one by one, there’s no absolute a major fanservice to viewers. It’s hard to imagine clunkers. The premiere, crossover and Killer Frost him lasting til the end of the season though, and stand out as the best episodes. As with everything that makes three expendable cops in three seasons. the better the villian, the better the story.

Caitlin also fulfills her predetermined comic book storyline and becomes Killer Frost, however briefly.

After the showrunners had a trial run on Earth-2 it seemed impossible our mild mannered Caitlin And Joe is still the best. could ever go to the dark side. Still, Flashpoint rewrote all the rules and the viewers are constantly The Flash is still on course. It just needs some new wondering whether the previous epiaodes versions plot and a few A-list villians to make 2017 shine.

Words by Brittany Howarth.

Arrow season 5 started with vigour, but it hasn’t rebellion is pointless and only a device to create kept up its pace. mayhem in the field. And although Ragman’s back story created an interesting twist with Felicity, he is This season follows a deteriorated Team Arrow way too powerful to make the other team members as they slowly pull back together, while also look useful. training Starling City’s newest vigilantes. The team gradually learns to work as a unit while battling new Now, I love having more women in the field. In threats like a gang boss named Tobias Church, the fact, I practically scream when Thea dons the red murderous Vigilante, and the efficient Prometheus. suit. But Artemis hasn’t filled her shoes. There But with the trust within the team breaking down, is potential here, probably more than the other there looks to be little hope for Starling City’s green characters, because she has the story of revenge hero. against Ollie. Her skill is highlighted best when she battled Prometheus in the subway, at which point Generally, the story has been steady. The audience she nearly held her own against him. And after knows who the villain is, what they want to do, recent revelations of Prometheus having trained and actually witnesses the villain’s very effective under one of Ollie’s teachers, we can assume that plan. With his mid-season attack on Team Arrow, Artemis is a brilliant fighter. But the team is too Prometheus has cemented himself as one of Arrow’s big to really develop her story, or to really look into greatest villains. However, the story drags when it what happened with her parents (a backstory very comes to characters. few remember).

The majority of Arrow’s core cast are upholding strong characters and keeping them intriguing.

Especially Diggle as he struggles with his freedom while being barred from his son. The slack with characters is mostly around the new cast and, sadly, Felicity.

~SPOILERS~ Another thing you might not remember are the interviews with Arrow’s cast and executive producers after Laurel’s death. Although some answers were squeamish and foggy, a producer did say ‘we made a creative choice and we’re sticking to it’. With Laurel’s sudden appearance in the midFelicity has been a wealth of fun quips since season season finale, it raises a few questions: if Laurel is one. Her ‘school girl crush’ on Oliver made her lines ‘dead’ and will remain so, who is this woman? Is even funnier, and her paralysis was very intense. she a vision? Robot? From Earth 2?

However, ever since her relationship with Ollie, her character has been slipping. Her quips seem It remains to be seen if Laurel’s return will be forced, her love interest equally so, and her role positive. However, it was a very risky choice which has become unnatural. This is especially so when I am cautious to celebrate.

Curtis was welcomed onto the team.

On a side note, I’d love to see how Ollie reacts to Laurel Earth 2…

Made to be a character Felicity can bounce pop ~END SPOILERS~ culture references off and chat about her tech with, Curtis is really a neon light on their awkward Prometheus’ plan and execution of it has certainly performances. So far, Curtis has given very little been this season’s highlight. There have been many to the team and sits somewhere between Felicity’s positive and creative changes to this season, but it genius and Diggle’s fighting. His character just feels has accumulated too many characters that bring too tacked on. little to the show. And although the season started to drop its pace, the mid-season finale definitely Wild Dog is similar, in that he falls between Oliver pulled it back into line. In fact, Arrow could quite and Diggle. He may bring tactics to the team possibly be doing better than The Flash this season. with his history in the marines, but his constant Just saying.

The team behind Legends have found their groove and the show is getting stronger and stronger. The third CW show has completed the single, relentless witchhunt of Vandal Savage and emerged a broader, funner show. There’s more wiggle room for plots outside of the series long scope and more time for the best part of any television show, superhero or otherwise: conversations!

The crew of the Waverider are communicating more than ever. No longer a mismatched hit team, the Legends have developed enough comradery to trust and listen. There will always be infighting in an ensemble show but this now a team equal to Team Flash or Team Arrow.

Adding new characters directly to Legends also helped define the voice of the show. Instead of borrowing an expired ‘Flash’ or ‘Arrow’ character the series has cast new and likable heroes to fill the void of fallen soldiers, including Leonard Snart and Rip Hunter.

The pair were born leaders and without them the group doesn’t necessarily gravitate to any one member. Sara, Stein and Ray have become the core of the group after long stints on the Flash and Arrow but the show goes out of the way to include Jax and Heatwave.

The show has also tread new ground with the Legion of Doom. It’s good to have a group based villian - and if the climax is anything like Arrow’s 100th episode the fight scenes will be spectacular.

More Malcom Merlyn / John Barrowman is always a good thing and the ‘OG’ Reverse Flash is very cool. Neal McDonough’s Damien Dhark is a little tired but he’s a good get for the series and needs a little more time before the CW is ready to rest him.

Season two of Legends of Tomorrow is head and shoulders about it’s predecessor and is not the quality of it’s sister shows. Well done CW!

2016 GAME GUIDE Words by Alaisdair Leith

It’s been an interesting year for gaming, it could be easily summed up with a few phrases like game delays, console upgrades and disappointments. Every year I usually give a witty and often snarky anecdote on the state of the games industry and how developers are caving to the whiny gamer generation but not this year I said, not this year! This year I would focus on the amazing games that developers put out, reigniting tired franchises, creating new worlds for exploration and new console announcements. It truly was an incredible year of gaming and 2017 shows no sign of letting up! Here in no particular order (besides game of the year of course!) are my picks for top games and some honorable mentions for 2016.

Ratchet & Clank The return of the beloved Lombax and his mechanical sidekick

that tried to ignite box office success with a failed movie, somehow surprisingly translated into one of the most beautifully animated games on the Playstation 4 system this year. The gameplay was addictive and everything bright and beautiful it was a wonder to look at.

There are so many collectibles and side quests to explore after the short main story quest that kept me coming back to this game again and again.

Rise Of The Tomb Raider (PS4 Ultimate Lara Edition) after the surprising

news that Lara would debut first on Xbox One, Playstation fans finally got their hands on the ultimate editition of Rise Of The Tomb Raider and we were not disappointed. Beautifull detailed tombs, an engaging story saw this game catapult forward to the top of my most played list for this year. Although it came out after the far superior Uncharted 4, it still bore a worthy place on this years list of gaming greatness.

Firewatch was my biggest surprise of 2016. One of my friends told me to buy this

game and play it immediately, and in doing so saw me binge the entire single player story over the course of two days while also encapturing the attention of my partner who sat dutifully by my side for the whole experience revelling in the story and being spellbound by the Pixar style graphics and well written script that delivered a mystery and drama that I can’t wait to go back and play in the newly released freemode.

Day Of The Tentacle Remastered one of the games that first captured

my imagination as a teenager, this slick remaster from the team at Double Fine delivered all the original nostalgia to our new systems and was the perfect game to add to my collection on the PS Vita. The touch controls and general controls were a breeze on the handheld and the colours popped on the OLED screen. If you are looking for great story based games on the Vita, this is one of them.

Far Cry Primal I never thought I would add a Far Cry game to my best of lists,

and yet here we are. The successful reboot of the series going back to the BC era was not only entertaining as a Far Cry game of shooting, but also taming animals, building your village and claiming land all combined to make this game an unforgettable and addictive Far Cry experience. Big thumbs up for the devestating opening scene and slaughter of your entire tribe.

GAME OF THE YEAR There is not enough time on the planet to talk about how much I loved this game. It was the (potential) last time we would go exploring with Nathan Drake and co. and while I was concerned about how they could possibly wrap all of this up with a satisfying conclusion for fans of the series. Fortunately my concern was not needed as the new and improved gameplay combined with the best looking graphics on any current gen console supported by a fantastic script with many moments with our favourite characters that left a lasting impression to close off the series with.

Honourable Mentions: Unravel Overwatch Doom The Last Guardian Battlefield One Watch Dogs 2 Forza Horizon 3 The Witness No Man’s Sky

Ever since I convinced my parents that the original Theme Park was an educational game when it first came out oh so many years ago I have had a huge amount of love for the theme park management sim genre.

From the aforementioned Theme Park right through Rollercoaster Tycoon 1, 2 & 3, these games have taken countless hours from my life and filled them with exciting rides, sugary drinks and vomiting patrons. So when the creators of Rollercoaster Tycoon and the criminally underrated Zoo Tycoon on Xbox One announced a return to the genre with Planet Coaster I was naturally excited. Thankfully that excitement was warranted because Planet Coaster is the most fun I have had with any management sim in years.

about the boring, yet necessary, connecting the track to the starting platform. Frontier have made some smart choices here and in all, it is a great system that won’t scare players away with too much complexity.

The game also looks great, there is a lot of detail in all of the different backgrounds available and the rides themselves animate wonderfully. It is a game that will run on a huge range of systems as well with plenty of graphics options to tinker with so everyone with a semi-decent laptop or better will be able to enjoy the game. The lower settings miss a lot of the little touches that make Planet Coaster look so vibrant but the game is certainly playable on a low-end system.

Planet Coaster is, to be fair, not that different from the Rollercoaster Tycoon games of old.

The goal is simple, build a successful theme park with the resources and equipment you have on hand. This involves building rides, creating food vendors, managing staff and balancing the budget. All of these activities are relatively easy to approach, especially if you are familiar with the old tycoon games like I am. Newbies need not fret however as there are some comprehensive and easy to understand tutorials and the campaign missions ramp the difficulty up at a nice pace to ensure that players get better as they play.

Perhaps the only issue I have with the game is the management side of things seems a little uninspired. Not that it is bad mind you, just that it feels like it hasn’t changed or improved over previous theme park titles. There is a solid set of numbers to crunch, sliders to slide and staff to abuse but it is nothing fresh or exciting. It would have been nice to be able to seek government funding or create my own advertisements or even have the ability to train staff in multiple disciplines, just something that hasn’t been done before.

Hopefully, some more management options are to come in future updates because they would really round out the entire experience.

The real improvement in this game however, is the track design tools. In past titles it was often a painful process to design complicated coasters and track based rides, often causing frustration with the fiddly nature. Planet Coaster has simplified the process while retaining the ability to create some truly mind-bending and terrifying creations. This is all achieved with clever use of pre-designed track pieces and a simple to use mouse control system. In no time at all I had scared the pants off my guests with 2 corkscrews, a loop and a hairpin turn.

The system also includes a handy “finish” function which completes the track so I can focus on making the cool bits and not worry

With a lengthy campaign, some interesting challenge missions and the star of the show sandbox mode there is a lot to sink your teeth into with Planet Coaster. Not only does it look great, it is easily accessible and highly entertaining. Simply put Planet Coaster is the cream of the theme park simulator crop and should be on the shopping list for anyone that has enjoyed these games in the past. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Planet Coaster would be the perfect point for those who have never tried this style of game to get their feet wet. Now if you will excuse me, there is some vomit at the pirate ship and my roller coaster keeps breaking down, A theme park manager’s job is never done.

Article by Matt Hewson