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More war at amplizine. We just can’t escape it.

Only the dead have seen the end of war. The game industry hasn’t even been looking for the end. We will always have an abundant supply of war games. This time around, it is yet another World War II game: Call of Duty. Is this the game to end all other WWII games? Well, it’s definitely a great game, but no one can stop the war machine from chugging along.

Join the Army, See the World, Meet Interesting People, Kill Them

You play as a number of soldiers in the Allied armies, fighting the forces of evil in the European theater. Prepare for missions through dangerous enemy territory taking out artillery, nabbing secret documents, infiltrating Nazi warships, defending Stalingrad, and racing for Berlin. I so get tired of repeating this stuff. How can you not know what a World War II game is about? Ever try reading a history book? You know… those things with sheets of paper in them?

Well, it’s no longer the most unique storyline, but that won’t keep you from having a good time in this shooter. Gameplay is so well balanced that you never get tired of doing what you are doing–you don’t just run from point to point shooting everything that moves. One moment, you’ll be making your way through war-torn houses, and then you soon find yourself under fire crawling through trenches. Just when that starts to seem a little drab, the game stays on top of it and changes to something new. This makes a game chocked full of memorable moments such as the car chase or your escape through the bulkheads and passageways of the battleship–but that doesn’t mean it’s simply a collection of high-action moments thrown together. The progression of events and the way Call of Duty involves you in them is nearly flawless, and that alone raises the rating to high marks.

The Technology of War

The graphics and sound design, though they are showing their age these days, are well done but not stunning. It’s kind of unfair to compare Call of Duty to its sequel, but because of the timing of our reviews, it can’t be helped. The graphics, I have no problem with seeing as how technology changes so fast with regard to them, but the audio design I feel comfortable with pointing out. Compared to Call of Duty 2, the audio here sounds flat and not nearly as sophisticated. All too often the importance of audio design is overlooked, and these two games are great examples. Call of Duty doesn’t create the same kind of moving atmosphere that 2 tries for, and I believe it is solely because of the sound’s flatness. Thankfully, Call of Duty is such a great experience gameplay-wise that the lack of perfection in the audio design isn’t even a problem. I’d only have to punish the game if it thought it could get away with just beeps and boops. But there are some cool, big names for voice actors in this game, namely Jason Statham and Giovanni Ribisi. Bonus points for that.

Making Friends Through War

There is a rather decent multiplayer in Call of Duty as well. I honestly don’t play it, but from what I’ve seen, it is popular and fun enough for people to be playing it 3 years later. Plus, I’ve seen many entertaining battles on Arena when G4 was still concerned with video games, so it can’t be all bad. But just as with Call of Duty 2, I want to rate this game based solely on its singleplayer experience. The fun enough multiplayer is just a bonus.

Make the Other Bastard Die for His Country

If you somehow avoided the hundreds of WWII games that have come out since 1995 and suddenly gained an interest in the genre, then this is the place to start. It is a fully rounded and fun shooter that should only be missed if you’ve got a World War II game hangover. I have no problem rewarding Call of Duty with our highest marks and giving it a 5 out of 5.

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No cows were harmed in the making of this game

Who loves to shoot Nazis? Hmm? That’s right; everyone on this green earth who isn’t a Nazi likes to shoot Nazis. Perhaps that is one reason why this game is so freaking awesome. Perhaps it also helps that you play as a wide variety of different soldiers, from British to American to Soviet (sorry, no German, although you do get to impersonate one for a while). Or maybe it’s the weapons. There seems to be more than enough weapons to keep you entertained and plenty to splatter some Nazi brain matter on the walls. And the Nazis just keep on comin’. It don’t get much better than that. Unless you can snag two Nazis in one beautifully placed sniper shot, that might be better. But this game offers all that and more.

The graphics in this game are excellent, even for a game already two years old; you can easily find yourself drawn into the game and barely even notice the beings you are slaughtering are only AI. Enemy character animation is also very good, they lean around corners and look intent on killing you, they run when they should and hide when they should and look proper doing it. In fact, the enemy characters look very convincing, you can hardly see any blocky forms in them, and you have to be damn close to see that. There are also several different enemy character models, so you really don’t feel like you’re just killing the same dude over and over. However, the faces are all the same, so it loses its convincing effects after a short time, but who cares? You’re just going to shoot them directly in the face anyway. What does it matter if it looks the same? The friendly animation is not as impressive, although each face looks different and everyone has a different name, they often look like retards bounding around in the fields, the movements seem extremely ungainly. As for the environments, the only thing bad I have to say is about the water. It looks like they took a small pattern for the water and just repeated it over and over, you can actually see the water pattern repeating, and that’s just not right. But all other textures and patterns in the game are fantastic, and once again, you barely even notice that it’s not real. Even the dead cows look pretty damn good. You know, for a dead cow.

The AI in this game was supposed to be extremely advanced, at least according to LilPickle, but I can tell you I found nothing but disappointment in the AI. The enemy AI seems to have a knack for knowing exactly where you are and shooting only at you, no matter how many other soldiers there are to shoot, no matter how well you are hidden, no matter how many ninjas you T-bagged, and no matter how much cheetah blood you drank this morning. And that really pisses me off. One of the taglines for this game is “no war is won by just one man” or something. But if that were true, then why does the enemy AI instinctively know to fire directly at you? That doesn’t make much sense to me. This seems to apply even when you go into ninja mode and try and sneak around the back of the enemy, they always turn and shoot you, even if you are prone on the ground and moving slow to make no noise. They always know right where you are. But otherwise it’s not too bad, the enemies do try to duck and hide, they run and dive and crouch and everything. Hell, if you get close enough to them they’ll actually strike you with the butt of their gun. It’s just the way they shoot that really pisses me off. As for the friendly AI, get ready to get irritated. Just when you’re about to snap off this awesome sniper shot at the unsuspecting enemy, one of your friendlies just happens to jump directly in front of your shot, and you unwittingly shoot him directly in the face. And then you’re all like what the fuck? But it doesn’t matter, because the Nazi you were supposed to shoot then manages to kill you while you slam the next shell into the rifle. And that concludes my main complaint with this game. Stupid AI.

The missions in this game are all very good, and they mostly get harder as you go along, although some tend to be easier as long as you have some skill with a sniper rifle. However, not all of the episodes are the same length, nor do they get longer the later the game gets. It kind of skips around a bit and seems a little unorganized the way its setup. But, that’s only a minor detail and I can easily overlook it for the extremely high quality of the rest of the game. Missions range from the typical runs of bridges and rescue, to the non-typical run of Stalingrad and sabotage of Nazi boats.

One other thing that really drove me nuts in this game was the controls. They are very non-typical for a first person shooter, which was irritating at first, but after a while it actually becomes much easier to use than you might think. Otherwise, the game handled very well, I never once experienced lag, and only once got irreversibly stuck. The movements seem realistic and well planned; you move fast when you walk and slow when you crouch or go prone. And the speed at which you move in each of those positions feels excellent and just the way it should. Bullets inflict the proper amount of damage on the enemy, and occasionally on you. Overall, the game feels and handles just the way you’d expect from World War II game, and it really helps to add to the feel.

What little multiplayer I actually attempted handled just as good as the rest of the singleplayer game, but I’m just too much of a noob to do any good against those types of people, so I didn’t try for very long. However, it handled well even on my low budget 3 year old machine… so, no complaints here.

So, aside from irritating AI both friendly and enemy, and the lumbering movements of friendly soldiers, this game is excellent. It is so easy to get the hang of, is very challenging and is wonderfully animated. It really feels like a WWII game should, and I have played enough WWII games to know. Call of Duty scores excellently under almost all regards and the few places where it does not score well are easily overlooked for the otherwise excellent quality of this game. So, all in all, I give Call of Duty a shining

4 splattered Nazis and dead cows out of 5

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If you don’t understand the humor behind it all, take that stick out of your ass and try again.

Quentin Tarantino, you genius, you’ve outdone yourself again. Just like Reservoir Dogs outdid Jackie Brown and Pulp Fiction outdid Reservoir Dogs, this fantastic tale outdid even Pulp Fiction. And that’s saying an awful lot. Because Pulp Fiction is the shit. Yeah. Anyway, back to the review. From the very first scene of this movie right until the gripping cliffhanger at the very end, you will be captivated through the entire flick. Starring and written by Uma Thurman, written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, and also starring Lucy Lui and Vivica A. Fox, this fascinating tale of revenge and remarkable constitution will drop kick you in the nuts and keep you wondering, all the while knowing. I know that didn’t make a whole lot of sense if you haven’t seen the movie, but if you have then you know precisely what I’m talking about.

Plot

In a desperate quest for revenge, the Bride (sorry, you have to wait till volume two to learn her real name.) as played by Uma Thurman, tears shreds into her old accomplices (and their bodyguards) until the very end of the movie. Of course, since this is only volume 1, she doesn’t get to complete her quest in this movie, but the journey itself is what is most spectacular. Broken down into several thoroughly rearranged chapters, the Bride procures a samurai sword, and kills the shit out of Lucy Lui’s character, has a somewhat epic fight and destroys Vivica A. Fox’s character–all the while fulfilling the sadistic death list of all those who wronged her. This film is Quentin’s homage to Bruce Lee era films, so the plot is laid out similarly to those, while still retaining a creative effect that only Quentin can produce.

Visual

Get ready for slightly comical blood and gore, because this movie has no shortage of either. In fact, there is a scene where the Bride is literally bathing in the watery blood of dozens of deceased (and maimed) samurai sword-wielding crazy-ass Japanese. In the story of Lucy Lui’s character O-Ren Ishii, the movie lapses into a fantastic Japanese animation sequence that was really stunning, and fit perfectly into the feel of the movie. During the massacre of the Crazy 88, the film drops into black and white, allowing for a fascinating cinematography affect the likes of which I have not seen in many years. Anytime the Bride sees someone who wronged her on her “wedding day,” shes shown in red to emphasize her fierce anger and hatred, and you know that person is going to die.

Audio

Only Tarantino can use such seemingly obscure music, and blend it all so perfectly into a movie. The song Twisted Nerve will haunt your dreams. Anyway, I strongly recommend procuring this movie’s soundtrack, whether legally or not is no concern of mine, but it’s really worth buying. Every song is completely different than every other, and yet it blends so well that you can’t even tell the songs aren’t even similar until you’re listening to the soundtrack separate from the movie. The sound effects are also fantastic, and you don’t need 5.1 to appreciate them, but it does make a really big difference.

Acting

Does this movie have any flawed acting? Absolutely not. The Bride is so perfectly convincing that you can almost believe it really happened. Bill is played better than anyone else, even though you never get to see his face, not even a little (at least not until volume two). Even Lucy Lui did a mentionable job here. Where often her roles can be very flat or staccato; she did an excellent job, and even wielded a sword very impressively. Uma really kicked some ass with her samurai sword, too.

Summary

This is one of the best and most unique movies to come out in years, and will probably remain so for quite some time. Get ready to be impressed, because this movie is truly fantastic. Quentin really is a genius for creating this, and special props to Uma for writing, because she and Quentin wrote this right after finishing Pulp Fiction. So here’s the final word: if you haven’t already seen this, you better or I will personally come to your house and beat you with a hose until you do. That’s right. Bitch.  5 out of 5 stars.

The most kick-ass physicist since Stephen Hawking returns to take it to the man; G-man that is.

Welcome, gracious readers to my first review of a video game. And we shall start with perhaps the grandest PC game to be released in quite some time: Half Life 2. After long bated breath and wishing I wasn’t poor, I eventually acquired this game (Thanks Aaron) some 6 months after it had been released. As I finally get around to the review, it’s more than a year after it’s release. But, nonetheless, if you don’t already own this game and you claim to be a “gamer” then you should go out and buy it right now. In case you couldn’t tell (what are you retarded?) this is the sequel to arguably the greatest PC game of all time: Half-Life. And this sequel does not disappoint.

Valve built an all new engine to power this game, and the graphics really show it. Every skin in the game is as close to real as I could imagine a game being, if not better. Throughout the game, I was stunned repeatedly by the extreme attention to detail that was given to the graphics. And although I am sure there are flaws in the game, my first play-through did not reveal any to me. The second time through, however, I noticed a few small glitches (mostly caused by me not doing what I’m supposed to of course) and even those glitches were more than small enough for me to simply ignore. From panoramic views to vetilation shafts, the graphics really are revolutionary. Even if your machine is not completely able to handle the graphics, the boys at Valve ingeniously kept what you needed to see in the screen, and clipped out unnecessary items. So if your computer sucks (like mine) you’ll still be able to murder and maim without hinderance.

This game really handles excellently as well, it’s very easy to get lost in the game and not even remember that you’re just playing a game. It really handles like all games should. The movements are crisp and very precise, helping seat you into Gordan Freeman’s shoes. The weapons are fairly believable, and your enemies fall with a proper amount of force. Plus the ragdoll characteristics that the corpses take makes it extra fun to nab a headshot. As a bonus over Half-Life, you can actually operate vehicles that aren’t mounted on a rail. Granted you only really get to drive a few vehicles, but it’s very nice to be able to move about as you like and not to be stuck on a track able only to accelerate and slow your craft. So in that regard, this game really is an improvement over the original. Plus, the dune buggy sounds like a small block Chevy, and that makes me super horny. But I digress.

The only real problem that I have with this game is the mood. Yeah, the G-man is present and quite prominant, and you even get to spend some time with characters from Black Mesa that were in the original Half-Life. But the sequel just doesn’t feel like Half-Life did. The plot really didn’t seem like you were fighting for freedom from aliens and grunts while trapped in the labs. It really felt more like you are on a one man vigilante attack against all things evil in the world. It almost seemed more fitting of a James Bond game than Half-Life. And you spend the whole game fighting men, and get to kill hardly any aliens, which is quite the disapointment. I really wanted this game to be like an extension of the original, with better graphics and drastically improved gameplay. Although I was not disappointed in regards to graphics and gameplay, I just really hated that it didn’t feel like Half-Life. In the original, there were countless puzzles and riddles you had to solve in order to progress, but in Half-Life 2, the puzzles are far too easy and I just never really got stumped. This was fairly saddening to me, because I’m not that smart of a guy and I really enjoyed getting stumped by the original.

The enemies in this game, however disappointing that they’re not aliens, are excellently built and quite intellegent. In the original, it was fairly easy to outsmart the AI, but not so here. I actually feel hunted in some places, which is almost refreshing (while creepy). Even the spawn points for the enemies feels realistic in most places, which really is an improvment over the original, where if you watch closely you can see exactly where to stand in order to spawn in the head-crabs and what not. Enemies get harder the farther you progress, which is becoming typical for first person shooters, but it fit what I was looking for. As an added bonus, when nearing the end of the game, you get to command some of the rebel troops, and they follow you like idiots and take all the bullets so you don’t have to. But the friendly AI seems like a last minute addition to the game and might need just a little more development to run perfectly. Plus, you don’t get troops for very long, so there’s really not much to mention about it.

All in all, this game is beyond excellent. The graphics rock, the enemies are believable, the gameplay is great and even the music is bad ass (even if there seems to be a shortage of it…) and I can’t stay mad at this game for not feeling like the Half-Life, but due to this I simply can’t give it 5 stars. Maybe if they had slapped a different name on it instead of Half Life 2, like Half-Life: Apocalypse or Half-Life: Aftermath or Half-Life with a Vengance or something I could have got on board with the feel the way they had it. But slapping it with that magic number 2 and then making if feel completely different? Sorry, but I just didn’t like that. Otherwise, the game is great. Anyone who thinks themselves to be a gamer needs to have this in the arsenal, and since it’s part of Steam it’s exceptionally easy to purchase, install, and play without going out into the evil sunlight.

4 Annoying head-crabs out of 5

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Who actually needs a review to convince them to see “The Matrix?”

I freakin’ love this damn movie. It’s creative, original, and well created. The Wachowski brothers hit the mark in every possible way here, from the fantastic and beautifully crafted special effects to the incredibly original plot and story line. This Sci-fi/Action flick in my opinions redefines the lines of both genres. There’s really not enough I can say about the amazing originality of this movie, I just love the idea of waking up in another reality. There’s something about that idea that seems excessively appealing to me, and this movie encourages that idea so perfectly that I need new pants (Cause I just showed my O face to the computer screen. Get it?) But anyway, here’s some serious props to the Wachowski brothers for a fantastic flick.

Plot

Average everyday guy Thomas Anderson (hacker alias Neo) spends every waking (and sometimes sleeping) moment (well, every time sleeping technically if you’ve seen the movie, cause he’s a battery and always sleeping in the…well, you get it) Searching for answers to life’s little mysteries. That, and some guy named Morpheus. Morpheus ends up finding Neo and offers him a red pill to see “how deep the rabbit hole goes.” Neo soon finds himself hurled into a different world running from the “Feds” and realizing the answer to the question: “what is the Matrix?” The answer? A virtual reality world created to keep billions of people asleep and unaware of the bitter world that is “the desert of the real.” But why are these people imprisoned? To turn them into batteries for the machines to live off of. Neo is then told that he is the one that will free all people from the Matrix.

Visual

Absolutely awesome. As many times as I have watched this movie, I could not find a single visual flaw in it. Everything is perfect to what it should be. The Matrix is beautifully crafted after our current cities (New York, I think) and really is believable. As for the real world, it’s a filthy, desolate place where the only happy retreat is plugging into the matrix itself. It’s so perfectly grimy and terrible, that it really makes you feel almost dirtier just for watching the movie. Some key visuals, as you all have seen, are the bullet dodging scenes. The slower they are the better. I just love when Neo is first realizing his abilities while fighting Morpheus and the slow-motion looking blurry hand movements as Neo takes the upper hand in the fight. Then when on the roof top and Neo dodges around the bullets “screaming” by in super slow-mo, it’s just freakin’ awesome.

Audio

Badass rock, even better techno. The Wachowski brothers really don’t leave you imagining what could have been here. They make sure that the music fits perfectly and flawlessly in the whole movie. There wasn’t a single moment where I thought, “wait, that song doesn’t fit here.” I thought all of it was perfect. Plus major appearances from Rage Against The Machine and some techno by bands I’ve never heard of but that were freakin’ great. In addition to the awesome music were some very kick-ass sound effects. Every touch of sound was very impressive. All of the shattering glass, the gunshots, the punching sounds, it’s all blended perfectly into a wonderfully believable flick.

Acting

Well, kind of what you’d expect really. Nothing that really blows my skirt up, but it didn’t really suck either. It really seemed like the Wachowski bros really wanted the performances to be just a touch on the flat side. If that is the case, then everything was perfect. But, otherwise the acting was just a touch on the flat side. Either way. Very impressive performance from Keanu Reaves, and I laugh every damn time I hear the line “I know kung fu” (thanks in part to Celebrity Jeopardy Skits from SNL (For the last time, no you don’t)). Did I just use a double parenthesis? Right, moving on. On the plus side, this movie was actually made when Carrie Anne Moss was still hot (look closely at her face next time you watch Reloaded and Revolutions, its like looking at a leather seat from the 50’s…gross).

Summary

Good God damn I love this movie. I’ve seen this movie so many times I practically have the whole thing memorized, but I still never really get tired of it. I just flat love the part where Neo goes to try and save Morpheus. The whole movie following that point just makes me need new pants. (Get it? I alluded to the O face thing I said earlier. Get it? Huh?) Right, moving on. If you actually haven’t seen this movie, you should just eat a bullet now. Either that or see the damn movie. The latter would be more PC but if you’re actually reading this review for encouragement to go out and spend a whopping dollar to rent this flick for the first time, then you probably should be shot. Or you have been in a coma for 30 years and just woke up four days ago. In that case, go rent it, you’ll like it, trust me. 5 “I know kung fu’s” out of 5

The original RPG. The turn-based genre. That’s what we’re talking about here. Chrono Trigger, from Square, is without a doubt one of the best RPG’s ever made. Ask any Super NES fanatic what the system’s best game is and they’ll answer immediately with Chrono Trigger. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I’m not a big fan of the turn-based RPG’s, but this is one of my favorite games of all time. The storyline is very captivating and visually this is one of the best looking games on the system.

Now, this part is going to be difficult. I want to tell the storyline without ruining it. It’s 1000 A.D. A young boy named Crono is going to the Millenia Fair to see his friend, Lucca. On the way he bumps into Marle and the two decide to go together. When they find Lucca they see that she has invented a time machine. Marle wants to be the test subject. Something goes wrong while she is in the machine and Crono and Lucca use the machine to locate her. While searching, Crono manages to to change history. So basically, you have to go through time fixing everything that got messed up and while trying to find a way home.

If you’ve played Final Fantasy III, then you know the basic gameplay system. In addition, a “Tech” attack as been added that is sort of like a special move. These techs can be combined with other members of your party to perform even more powerful attacks. One of the main changes with this game, and one which I think should be a necessity, is that you can see enemies before your thrown into battle with them. This allows you to avoid fights if you are just trying to get somewhere. Of course, leveling up is needed so you don’t want to avoid all the fights.

As I said before, this is one of the most visually impressive games on the system. The level of detail might be better than any Super NES game and the color blend really works well. Every area has its own distinct look. Not to mention the fact that the music really adds to each level. This is one of the better soundtracks on the Super NES, but would you settle for anything else from Square?

Chrono Trigger, in my mind, is the perfect turn-based RPG. And it is impressive that Square was able to build such a different game from Final Fantasy but include everything that makes Final Fantasy great. If I were ever to create an RPG game, this is what I would strive for.

In conclusion, Chrono Trigger bitch slaps Final Fantasy for a 5 out of 5.

Being the movie that started my addiction to Luc Besson, The Fifth Element is probably his best known work. But because something is well known does not mean it is well received. This movie is often criticized as being Besson’s weakest attempt at character and plot development, especially when compared to other films such as La Femme Nikita or Leon The Professional. Though their point may be valid, I don’t believe this movie was meant to be like his others–this has the same characters we have seen many times in hundreds of movies. This time around, we are just meant to experience the pure emotion of the characters.

Plot Summary

In this futuristic world, Bruce Willis plays Korben Dallas, the retired commando turned cab driver. He “catches” a fare named Leeloo (Jovovich) and soon finds himself risking everything for this woman he hardly even knows. Across the galaxy, meanwhile, Evil is taking shape and planning the destruction of life on Earth. Dallas is suddenly caught between an evil corporation, a priest, his old commander, and alien thugs as each has their own agenda concerning the impending doom. Korben is sent on the mission to save the world by recovering five alien artifacts prophesized to destroy Evil, but of course, there is trouble on the way. He soon begins to realize Leeloo is not merely a woman but actually the “perfect” being and the 5th element used to stop evil. As Korben falls in love with her, she grows from her child-like mentality to seeing the truth of human nature. In the end, she and Korben both discover in the knick-of-time that love is humanity’s saving quality. Evil gets bitch-slapped.

Acting

I can’t say enough about the wonderful acting. Bruce Willis, not surprisingly, nails the tough guy role, but finds sensitivity just as well. Milla Jovovich is amazing as we see her develop from her initial child-like demeanor to being the savior of mankind. We feel her confusion while she escapes, her helplessness when she pleads to Korben to save her, and her pain when she is broken and defeated. Gary Oldman, as always, portrays most villainously the villain, and Mr. Zorg is most certainly that. Though we never see his neck-cracking and pill-taking like in Leon, the blood oozing from his forehead provides a nearly equal disturbing image. Iam Holm’s portayal of Father Vito Cornelius is well done, serving as the guide for other characters but sometimes acting un-priestly. And finally is Chris Tucker as Ruby Rhod. Now is the time when most critics’ heads would explode as they tried to comprehend this character. This radio cosmos dj is just another stylized aspect contributing to the mood and atmosphere of this futuristic world. He, along with many other male and female characters, has undergone a gender role reversal as part of this stylizing. And he’s damn funny doing it. Those critics are just too uptight. Damn, I wish I wouldn’t have said “gender role reversal” now. Sounds stupid.

Visual

I absolutely love the visuals in this movie. Though there is nothing particularly high-tech about any of it, everything is highly stylized. The smoggy underworld of the city feels disgusting, while the flying cruise ship is elegant. Contrasting settings such as these provide validity, yet the occasional oddities within them are somehow still believable. Overall, I appreciate how this movie tantilizes the senses and allows my imagination to play–something that isn’t done enough, especially in science fiction. That sounds odd, but how many times are we told how exactly everything is supposed to work in other sci-fi movies? This movie decides to focus on character rather than technology. Well, that and explosions.

Audio

The thing I want to note here is the soundtrack. Eric Serra had worked with Luc Besson in the past, and on this film, he scored (pardon the pun). Varying from world music to reggae to opera-techno, the music never ceases to enhance the mood. The instrumentals are so genuine and well done that you can listen to just the music, ignoring the dialog, and still appreciate the movie fully.

Themes

Now, I know the story has been told repeatedly throughout the ages, so there is nothing ground shaking here. But I like the simplicity of the theme: human nature is only saved by love. But one other theme hides within the entire movie that just tickles me to the bone, and that is fate. Drama is built heavily on one moment: lighting the match to save the world. While everyone holds their breath, you find yourself doing the same. And if you look back, you see the irony in that drama. Throughout the movie, Korben uses that matchbox liberally and even wastes one of the matches while on the phone. I love the subtle things like this that reveal themselves each new time you watch.

Conclusion

There is no getting around loving this movie, if you don’t try to analyze it too much. As a simple action sci-fi, it entertains and encourages imagination. I think Ruby Rhod would agree when I say 5 super green! super green!’s out of 5.