houseofjames

This show is...a travesty.

To anyone that has read the original comics of Scrooge McDuck's adventures, or watched the original Ducktales show from the 80s, steer clear of this garbage 're-imagining' of those stories. Everything is wrong: the actors are awful, even Tony Anselmo who plays Donald sounds like he swallowed box loads of cotton balls before speaking. The nephews are horrendous and all sound like their voices by thirty-year olds (which they are).

The animation is...dire. Compared to the vibrant, lush animation of the 80s show, this is just horrendous. The simplistic design may hold true to Carl Barks, but the cheap animation just kills it.

While at times the dialogue is decent and almost witty, it is all just weighed down by a sense of eye-rolling self referencing tripe.

I hated this show. Hated it. Hated hated hated HATED it.

Epic but overwrought adaptation of the popular manga series deals with humanity's attempts to ward off an onslaught on massive titans bent on consuming the human population of a large city.

Exhilarating action scenes and some very effective moments are undermined constantly by grade-school dramatics, repetition, and annoying characters (save the ass-kicking female, Mikasa). The English adaptation is okay, but at times over-the-top.

Another anime that could have been so much more had it not focused entirely on a weak cast of prepubescent teens. Thunderous music score by Hiroyuki Sawano.

Coming into this film, I had no pretensions. I am only somewhat familiar with the Midnight RPG that this is based on, and I must admit, the setting is one of the best parts about this deathly slow film. At an hour and forty minutes, it certainly feels its length.

Set in a kingdom held under the weight of a near eternal darkness, the bulk of the story follows a 'Legate', a sort of warrior/mage that are the inquisitors of the world, doing the bidding of the godlike 'Darkness'. There is a lot of mythology in the story, way to much for its ambitions. I found the setting to be tantalizing and evocative. The filmmakers used most of their budget on moody VFX shots of cityscapes filled with towers and castles, but left little for the costumes and actors. I swear, most of the actors in the film were culled from the nearest community theater where the film was shot. With the exception of the darkly intriguing Charles Hubbel as the Legate Mag Kiln, none of the actors are interesting in the least.

In the end, the film really does try to tell an intrigue laden story, but it is constantly sabotaged by its own ambitions. This story and world may have worked in the hands of a better director, better actors and a more coherent, less busy script. If you're interested, check it out, otherwise skip it.