Fresh Take - WHAT IF Season 3 Thoughts

 Available on Disney Plus

Synopsis (from IMDB):

Exploring pivotal moments from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and turning them on their head, leading the audience into uncharted territory.

Thoughts

Apparently, this is the final season of What IF and according to some people it couldn't come soon enough. Personally though I didn't think the season was to bad. Sure it had its ups and downs but I thought there were more fun episodes than bad ones. I think that is one of the main issues with this series is that when the episode is good, its great but when its bad its painful to get through. That inconsistency has been an issue throughout each of the seasons. This season its more pronounced but in my opinion there are more interesting to good episodes than bad ones. This season also shows some continuation of story beats that happened in Seasons 1 and 2 for example Howard the Duck and Darcy getting married in Vegas. Captain Carter teaming up with Kahori again, they do try to have an overarching story and it does work to an extent. From a visual perspective, if it ain't broke don't fix it, I love the artstyle of the series and hope that it sticks around since it seems like Marvel is up their animated output. The soundtrack is awesome as always and the voice acting is well done. I do see the criticisms that some of had online and personally, I think that the series stays true to what they have been doing for the past two seasons. If you like that then I think you will enjoy this season overall.

For Parents

This series is rated TV-14. It has a lot of super hero style action in it. Like I said previously, if you have seen the first two seasons you pretty much know what to expect. The episodes are 30 minutes a piece and this season there are only 8 episodes. They are well paced and nothing feels like it drags in any area. 

Final Thoughts

Should you watch it? That's a tough question, to be fair. However, I enjoyed the first and second seasons and honestly, I enjoyed most of this season. Its not a hard watch by any stretch of the imagination and I will miss this show. If I had to give it a rating I would give it a RENTAL as nothing about it made me upset but I do think there were some issues that needed to be addressed. What did you think of the final season of WHAT IF? Leave a comment and let's talk about it. 

Trailer

Fresh Take - Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Spoiler Free Thoughts)

 In Theaters

Synopsis (from IMDB):

Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails reunite against a powerful new adversary, Shadow, a mysterious villain with powers unlike anything they have faced before. With their abilities outmatched in every way, Team Sonic must seek out an unlikely alliance in hopes of stopping Shadow and protecting the planet. 

Thoughts

If you've watched the first two films in this franchise then you have a pretty good idea of how things will flow visually. This movie introduces Shadow and Gerald Robotnik and pulls from the Sonic Adventure 2 story. Keanu Reeves and Jim Carrey straight killed it in their roles. Especially, Jim Carrey as he is playing both Robotniks in the movie. I like how they showcased Shadow's powers and what makes him different from Sonic. The jokes in the movie are well done and they don't really drag anything on. The human element in the movie makes sense and they do a good job of using them just enough to not be annoying. I thought the movie was pretty balanced in that way. The visuals are pretty much the same as in the second film, this isn't a bad thing to me as the saying goes if ain't broke don't fix it. The soundtrack is very well done and yes, they play Live and Learn during the climax of the movie. That makes this my movie of the year just for that alone. 

I think the movie is great but there are a couple of things that made me scratch my head a little bit. The exclusion of Rouge the Bat and Kristen Ritter's character. I really thought she would have more to do but apparently I was wrong. Also, it feels like some stuff with Gerald Robotnik may have been cut. They made it seem like Eggman didn't even know him, which I thought was pretty weird. It does seem like there are some scenes that are on the cutting room floor that would probably have helped explain some things a little better. Other than that I thought the movie was great. 

For Parents

The movie is rated PG and runs a little under two hours. I thought the pacing was fine and outside of a few things that I thought could have been explained better I think the story flowed well. There are two post credit scenes, one in the middle and one after. The one in the middle does have a couple of surprising cameos and sets up what they could possibly do in Sonic 4.

Final Thoughts

This movie was awesome. This is getting a FULL PRICE from me.

I think fans of Sonic Adventure 2 will really enjoy this movie.

Jim Carrey as always is great and Keanu really nailed Shadow, in my opinion.

Not gonna lie, the Sonic movies have all been good and I am interested in seeing the next

entry. Have you seen Sonic the Hedgehog 3? What did you think? Leave a comment and

let's talk about it. As always thanks for reading. If you like the blog please share and tell

your friends and family.

Trailer

Impressions - Fitness Boxing 3 Your Personal Trainer

 Available on Nintendo Switch

Thoughts on the Gameplay

The Fitness Boxing series is a workout series that has been prominent on the Nintendo Switch. There are three main entries and two spin offs with one based on Hatsune Mike and the other on the Fist of the North Star series. I have been a fan of the mainline games since the first one and found that they are very good for those people wanting to burn calories and try to help stay in shape. This game basically takes you through various workouts all cardio based and based on boxing. The objective is to follow the prompts on the screen and perform the assigned movement. Easy peasy, right? Well it can be but it is a rhythm based game so its not always as easy as it looks. You can, however, tailor your workouts to your skill level and what you want to accomplish. This new entry is a vast improvement over the previous entry, which, while good, had its fair share of issues. 

Thoughts on the Good

There are a good number of virtual instructors that give recommendations and tips. There is a lot of variety as well with the workouts. There is a quick workout option if you are short on time. There is also a few workouts that are unlocked pretty early on. I love the fact that they added Daily and Weekly missions. It gives a reason to come back more than once a day. In this entry I feel like there is no lag between your movement and when the movement registers on screen. In the previous entry there was noticeable lag. There was a way to get around it but it was annoying as I found a lot of the workouts just couldn't be done because the lag was a serious issue. I have found that the majority of issues I had with the first two entries in the series have been addressed. 

Thoughts on the Bad

I'm just gonna say it the music is horrible. In the previous entry they had instrumentals of certain popular songs playing. Here it's mostly just bad electric or synth music. I kind of wish there was a way for us, the gamer, to link our Spotify or YouTube Music accounts as I feel that would just be better and easier on my ears. That's about the only thing I have had a real issue with in my play so far. They have changed the instructors from the previous game but you can still customize them to fit your liking.

For Parents

I highly recommend this game if you are looking for something to use to help keep you in shape when you can't go to the gym. The game is highly customizable and the workouts can be tailored to fit your level of fitness. Anyone can play this and I think it is a great addition for those that are interested in getting a good sweat a few times a week. 

Overall Thoughts/Is the Game FUN?

This game is very fun in my opinion. A FULL PRICE purchase, especially if you are looking for something to help reach your fitness goals. You will get your blood pumping and a good sweat going. You don't press any buttons during workouts as it is all movement based using the joy cons. Outside of the horrendous soundtrack I am really enjoying this game and can't recommend it enough. Have you played Fitness Boxing 3? What do you think so far? Leave a comment and let's talk about it. 

GamePlay

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (Spoiler free thoughts)

 Available in Theaters

Synopsis (from IMDB):

Set 183 years before the events chronicled in the original trilogy of films, it tells the fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the legendary King of Rohan. A sudden attack by Wulf, a clever and ruthless Dunlending lord seeking vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg-a mighty fortress that will later come to be known as Helm's Deep. Finding herself in an increasingly desperate situation, Hera, the daughter of Helm, must summon the will to lead the resistance against a deadly enemy intent on their total destruction.

Thoughts

The first thing I noticed was how clean the animation. Visually this movie looks amazing. Some of the shots they did were pretty good. From a story perspective it felt like an extension of the original Lord of the Rings, more specifically The Two Towers film. The score is well done also and has a nostalgic feel to it. There is a lot to like here in my opinion. The cast and the voice acting is well done. The writing on the majority of characters is good. As an anime fan it feels like a 90s era anime with modern animation techniques which make the visuals pop even more. The action sequences are well done and even the tie ins that happen are done in a good way and make total sense in terms of the narrative. 

The only real gripe I had was with the antagonist, Wulf. He seemed like a weak simp who was just mad that the girl he liked didn't like him back. That's a trope in Hollywood I really wish they would stop, just because it makes the villain just look weak and not interesting or compelling. Also, we don't spend that much time with him or his father to understand their side of why they had issue with the King of Rohan. Lastly, there are some things that are just way to predictable and it got to a point I knew what was going to happen before it happened. 

For Parents

The movie is rated PG-13 for strong violence. While it is not gory there are some bloody scenes and battle scenes. There are characters that die, however, I will say its nothing that hasn't been depicted in any of the Lord of the Rings movies. The movie is paced well. I didn't feel a drag at all. The movie is a little over two hours but I didn't feel it all.

Final Thoughts

If you are a Lord of the Rings fan, you've probably already seen it. I think that this movie is great for fans of Tolkein's work. It expands the lore in an interesting way without stepping on the toes of what came before it. The action is great, the visuals are amazing and the score is well done. This movie gets a MATINEE from me, perfect afternoon movie. Have you seen The War of the Rohirrim? Leave a comment and let's talk about it. Thanks for reading if you like the blog please feel free to share it on your social media.

Trailer

Fresh Take - Gladiator 2 Spoiler-Free Thoughts

 In Theatres 

Synopsis (from IMDB):

After his home is conquered by the tyrannical emperors who now lead Rome, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum and must look to his past to find strength to return the glory of Rome to its people.

Thoughts

A couple things, 1. don't go into this movie expecting historical accuracy, 2. while you don't have to watch the first one its probably a good idea. The cinematography, music, and acting are all great in this movie. Ridley Scott just knows what he is doing. In my opinion, Denzel crushed it as Macrinus the way he commands the screen and when the twist happens even though you may see it coming it is still a shock with how violent it does get. One of the things about this movie is they use a good amount of CG but its not egregious. The fights in the Colosseum are all shot very well and have a feeling of brutality much like the first film. Also, props to Pedro Pascal, he did a very good job portraying General Acacius. I felt bad for his character as the longer the film went on you saw the writing on the wall and that character was a good man.

While I enjoyed the movie there are a couple of things that make it fall short of the classic that is the first Gladiator film. That is the main antagonist. I think the actor did as good a job as he could but the writing for him, in my opinion, was kind of bland. Russell Crowe's, Maximus had memorable lines, Hanno aka Lucius did not have that, as a matter of fact the only memorable line he had was Strength & Honor, which was a line from the first movie. The other issue I had was that I thought the emperors would be more terrifying. The trailer kind of built them up to that but they weren't, they were more spoiled brat than anything else. I think that's where most of my issues with the movie came from it was the writing of certain characters.

For Parents

The movie is Rated R for violence. There is a lot of fighting and some gore. This movie isn't for the little ones in the slightest. The runtime is two hours and twenty minutes and is paced well. The movie never drags in my opinion and flows smoothly for the most part. 

Final Thoughts

I had fun with this movie. It does have its issues but it is a solid MATINEE in my opinion. If you have the option to see it in IMAX I would as it looks great. Denzel and Pedro Pascal were the standouts in my humble opinion. I also liked how they tied certain plot points back to the first film and it made sense. Have you seen Gladiator 2? What did you think? Please leave a comment and let's talk about it.

Trailer