Film Review: Toy Story 3

Tags

animation, Buzz Lightyear, Disney, pixar, Toy Story 3, woody

I think reviewing movies is going to be a tricky thing for me. Games and books take quite a long time to read and play through which gives me plenty of time between reviews. Movies are generally over in a couple of hours which means I could watch  two or three in a day if I were so inclined. The trouble is that usually when I watch a film I want to review it but I don’t have time to review every film I see. It’s especially troublesome over Christmas when there are usually lots of films worth watching on TV. I’ve seen loads this year I’d like to review but I think I’ll have to post a roundup of said pictures with star ratings and maybe a comment just so I can do something.

Some films however demand to be reviewed properly, and this closing chapter in one of the great movie trilogies, which I received for Christmas on DVD is one of them. There was a heck of a lot riding on Toy Story 3, a lot of pressure for it to live up to the enormous quality of the first two films. The first Toy Story was one of those films that comes along maybe once a decade, if not even less frequently than that, a wholly fresh and beguiling escape into imagination. It’s no accident that it won the hearts of the vast majority of people who saw it and was instantly hailed as a modern masterpiece. A combination of faactors made it so. The very concept of toys that come to life is the most obvious. Every child who has ever pretended their toys are alive can instantly relate to the wonder of the idea. That was the sprogs won over. Then there was the depth and knowingness that came with the premise. The characters weren’t merely a collection of colourful playmates but believable adults with real insecurities (Woody’s jealousy of superior new colleague, Buzz). Add to that a number of funny asides and the grown-ups were hooked too. Better still the characters were fabulous, all voiced brilliantly and instantly memorable. Oh and the fact that it was the first ever fully CG animated feature ever helped a bit too.

Too often great movies give birth to mediocre sequels, especially in the direct-to-video world of animation. That nearly happened with Toy Story but thanks to a lot of important people seeing sense it didn’t. Toy Story 2 was greenlit to be made as a top-budget theatrical follow-up but that was only half the battle. The triumph of Toy Story 2 lay in three chief parts. First there was the plot, which saw Woody taken by toy collector Al and prepped for shipment to a Japanese museum. Cue plenty of rescue high-jinks, memorable new characters and nicely realised settings to put them in. By repeating the scenario of having toys leave the comfort of their owner’s bedroom and explore the outside world we were treated to a thrilling sense of adventure. Secondly there was the pacing which was much quicker than the first film, which was necessarily preoccupied with painting the vivid picture of the toy’s world and needed to be slower to do so. The quick action made room for tons of gags and ably kept the laughs flowing. Finally and crucially we gained some maturity. Toy Story was a grown-up film but the sequel really upped the ante by facing head-on certain thoughts that are normally kept well clear of kids flicks. The major theme of Toy Story 2 lies in the threat of obsoletion. Woody’s fears about Andy growing out of his toys run through the whole film. It’s the kind of focus that can affect anyone who remembers loving the toys they once played with and has the ability to miss those simpler times. It’s even more powerful for the youngsters who are still in that zone. What really hammers it home is the absolutely heart-breaking sequence, set to melancholy song depicting Jessie’s long lost relationship with past owner Emily.

So we had two films that maintained huge appeal for young and old, not merely by being good but by being original and going above and beyond the call of duty emotionally. How could the geniuses at Pixar repeat the trick again?

I went to see Toy Story 3 with a lot of good friends. I was visiting Lancaster where I went to uni at the time and by the time we walked into the cinema the few days I spent there had already been one of the highlights of my year. I was desperate for the film to be a match for its predecessors and I was confident it would be after reading reviews in Empire and Total Film. But you never know. Thankfully the film turned out to be everything I wanted it to be and a little bit more and, quite possibly, the best in the trilogy.

Toy Story 3 takes place about ten years after Toy Story 2. Andy has grown up and is on the verge of leaving for college. Many of the toys he once cherished have passed out of his possession leaving only the core collection of characters we’ve loved for years, Woody, Buzz, Slinky, Rexx, Hamm, Jessie, Bullseye and Mr and Mrs Potato Head. Very quickly that theme of obsoletion comes back into the forefront of the story but not before a thrilling opening fantasy sequence that sees a younger Andy enacting one of his classic good-guys-versus-bad-guys routines. It’s an opening that puts the Buzz Lighyear video game effort from last time to shame and joyously celebrates the power of imagination.

Fast-forward a few years and Woody and the gang are reduced to working elaborate plans with mobile phones to draw Andy’s attention and get some play time. Toy Story 2 presented the theme of Toy’s no longer being wanted as a far-in-the-future threat but 3 brings it right into the present. The toys face three possible fates, being stored in the attic, thrown out with the trash or donated to the local daycare centre. One quickfire series of events later and it’s off to the daycare centre.

The daycare centre is Sunnyside, a bright, colourful place packed with toys, a place of joy and happiness that happens to be in the grip of a fascist regime. It’s a tremendous place to set the majority of the film. I’ve often thought recently that a good setting is the key to quality adventure storytelling and Toy Story 3 absolutely nails it. What we have in this place is basically a prison-break movie and the film’s most entertaining scene is a vibrantly-handled escape sequence.

It’s all about balance. The plot moves at the right pace to remian engaging without ever getting too bogged-down by sentimentality or silly jokes. The gags are well-judged, ranging from character humour to more of the same delightful observational humour about toys. All of the classic charcters get plenty of screen time to do their thing but there are plenty of new characters. Sensibly, though, none of them dominate the film, indeed only a couple really come to the fore, strawberry-smelling bear Lotso and Barbie’s long-time boyfriend Ken, voiced by Michael Keaton and undoubtedly the best newcomer, holding down a lot of the best laughs.

Woody is still the hero and his story takes him elsewhere as he rather touchingly refuses to give up on Andy. The structure provides us with two story strands that mirror the second movie, one one side there is Woody and on the other the rest of the toys. We never stay for too long with one side of the story and things move quickly. And what about Buzz? Pixar, knowing what the fans want were well aware that the space ranger needed more to do then be just another character and they haven’t disappointed as his journey through the film has a couple of neat twists loaded with comedy.

By the time we reach the final act we’re all absolutely addicted again, the characters, the jokes, the better-than-ever visuals, the tear-jerking story all transport us for the third time into the realms of pure pleasure. You forget yourself when watching this film. Escapsim simply doesn’t get better than this.

Just when you think you’ve seen enough to confirm Toy Story 3 as the worthy concluding part to the trilogy it needed to be and you’re enjoying the thrilling final act the film hits you with a moment of pure beauty and raw emotion that most people won’t be prepared for. Even watching the film for a second time on DVD I felt myself welling up and I never ever cry at movies, that’s how powerful it was. It’s not just what happens but the way it’s done, the way it’s drawn out that makes it stand out. For me it was hands-down the best moment of the trilogy.

And even then it’s not over. The film ties up the plot of the trilogy beautifully with an extended final sequence that ties up all the loose ends and prolongs that something in your eye right to the end. It’s entirely, perfectly satisfying. Some fans will long for a fourth movie but the way 3 is wrapped up means it shouldn’t happen. It would be messy to continue and when we’ve signed off with such a gloriously entertaining, mesmerising and powerful third carrying on just isn’t necessary.

Verdict

As closing chapters to trilogies go this has to rank up there with the very best of them. Everything we need is here, laughs, colour, action, characters, and heart and it’s never been better. This towering achievement in escapist entertainment is lined with a tremendous sense of affection for the characters and everything their story stands for. It’s sad to finally see the end of this wonderful story about toys but the tears are accompanied by beaming smiles.

Game Review: Fire Emblem – Shadow Dragon (DS)

Tags

dragon, DS, emblem, fire, Fire Emblem, intelligent, marth, Nintendo, RPG, shadow, strategy, systems

Merry Christmas!

There’s been a lot of sickness in the prince’s castle this December and the prince has had to chip in with Christmas preparations where the servants haven’t been able to so this review is a little late in coming despite the fact that I finished the game, my first replay since getting it in 2009, some days before the 25th. I will, of course, be reviewing all three of the games I got for Christmas (Donkey Kong Country Returns, Sonic Colours and Muramasa – The Demon Blade, a very Wii-oriented side-scrolly Christmas) in due course. For my first game review, however, it’s Fire Emblem – Shadow Dragon.

I came to the Fire Emblem party late. Developed by the sainted Intelligent Systems the series began on the Famicon in 1990 and created an all new genre by combining the Strategy game with the RPG to make the world’s first Strategy RPG. The first half-dozen titles were Japan exclusive and the series didn’t make its way westwards until two of its characters, Marth and Roy had made an appearence as playable combatants in the Gamecube’s Super Smash Bros. Melee. Finally in 2004 (in Europe at least) Fire Emblem – The Sword of Flame for the Game Boy Advance, simply titled Fire Emblem here, became the first game in the series to see release and I ignored it.

Well I didn’t ignore it exactly, I liked the art style a lot and the Smash Bros. connection engaged my interest but I didn’t buy it. In those days I didn’t have enough money to justify buying many games unless I knew I’d enjoy them and Fire Emblem was an unknown quantity to me. I didn’t get The Sacred Stones either and even when the series made an appearence on the Gamecube in Path of Radiance when precious few quality titles were being released for the platform I still wasn’t moved to make a purchase. Finally in 2008 Path of Radiance received a direct sequel in Radiant Dawn for the Wii and I finally made my long overdue Fire Emblem bow.

I’ll go into detail about my experience with Radiant Dawn when I come to review it as I plan to do some time in 2011 but for now suffice it to say that it took me a very long time to get into it. Fire Embelm is a very complex, multi-faceted game and takes dedication to master. Eventually everything clicked with me and by the time the credits rolled I was a confirmed fan of this cult series. In fact I would now go as far to say that there are only three video game series I look forward to new instalments of more now, Mario, Zelda and Metroid. So naturally when this game, a remake of the title that started it all was released for the DS in 2009 I didn’t beat around the bush about getting it.

As I said Shadow Dragon is a remake of the first game in the series and as such follows the story of Marth, the original Fire Emblem hero. Marth is the prince of the Kingdom of Altea who is forced into exile by the invading army of a previously allied nation. Marth raises an army and fights to bring peace back to the continent by defeating Medeus the Shadow Dragon, a task that requires the divine sword Falchion. The story is unfolded between missions by some extremely well-written dialogue between static pieces of very nicely drawn character art. There are plenty of twists and turns along the way but the story plays second fiddle to the massively addictive gameplay.

Battles play out on the top screen with the map on the bottom screen.

Here’s how it all works. You take control of a party of characters, each belonging to its own class, (myrmidons, cavaliers, archers, thieves, mages, fighters, knights etc.) leading them through a linear succession of quests in which you play a hyper-evolved game of chess against an opposing army with a view to completing a set objective (in this game the objective never strays from seizing a certain square on the grid which is always guarded by a boss). You and the enemy AI take turns in moving your units around the grid and engaging in battles with opponents. When you move within attacking range of an enemy you can choose to engage it whereupon you will be shown a screen that essentially predicts the outcome of the battle. You will be shown all of the relevant stats of both you and your enemy including HP (that’s RPG jargon for hit points), how much damage the two of you will do to each other, your chances of landing a hit in per cent and your chances of landing a three-times-as-powersul critical hit in per cent. The two units will only strike each other once unless one unit has a high enough speed statistic compared to the other in which case that unit can attack twice but even then battles don’t always end with one unit’s defeat.

Sound simple enough? Okay once you’ve grasped that much you need to factor in the following. Some weapon types have advantages over others (swords beat axes, axes beat lances, lances beat swords) and gain a slight damage boost when pitted against them. Some weapons can attack from a range of two squares meaning you can damage an enemy with an attack range of one square without reprisal. Some weapons have a massively boosted effect on certain units (bows against flying units, hammers against armoured units etc.) and can easily wipe out even powerful units in a single blow. All weapons have a limited number of uses which deplete every time you score a hit meaning you will want to be conservative with your stronger weapons which have fewer uses than weaker ones. Each unit will have an A-E grade for adaptness at the weapon(s) it is able to wield restricting the grade of weapon it can use and can only increase their grade by using the weapon type a lot. You can recruit new units by talking to them with the appropriate character instead of attacking although that will still be an option. Certain units can use staves to heal allies, warp them to another part of the map or boost their defence. Units gain experience in battle, more for achieving a kill. Units can improve their stats with certain items or upgrade to a stronger class by using a Master Seal.

Believe it or not this dragon is on your side.

Got all that? That’s just the start. Between quests you can make preparations for the next map by choosing which units to take, where to position them on the map and what weapons and items you want each one to have in their inventory. The micromanagement you can go into is extremely detailed. Every little nuance affects the way you prepare for and make your way through each quest. It’s deep and richly rewarding. Building up your army is extremely satisfying and every facet of the structure makes for the most addictive video game experience I have ever played.

But there’s one more thing that really sets Fire Emblem apart from other similar games. If one of your units falls in battle you can never use them again. This is unusual for RPGs, most of which only have a few playable characters which almost always revive after battle and sometimes in the same battle if you resurrect them manually. Permanent character death seems to be unique to the Fire Emblem series and will dominate the way you play. You have to be cautious, keep weaker units away from enemy attack ranges, heal your party regularly and prepare for every eventuality. It can be hugely frustrating to have one of your favourite characters suddenly killed. You can switch off and reload your last save to get them back but this of course necessitates regaining lost progress. The problem is slightly alleviated by allowing you to save in mid-quest once or twice but you’ll have to be strategic about when to do even that.

Linde the mage.

So how does Shadow Dragon measure up against the rest of the series? Well, for one thing during this second playthrough I could tell it was a remake more easily than when I first played it. Since getting this I’ve tracked down the Fire Emblem games I had previously missed and having played them I can see how the series has progressed from the early days on which Shadow Dragon is based. There’s less chatting among the characters, fewer enemy units and a number of series conventions, such as support conversations and certain unit classes have fallen away. This, therefore, feels like a slightly simplified experience at times. The one new idea Shadow Dragon brings to the table is the concept of reclassing units. If you find you have too many of one class (which you will because the game throws a lot of cavaliers at you early on) or too few of another you can take an existing unit and change their class to something else entirely giving you greater powers of customisation. It’s nice to have the freedom but it’s hardly needed, plus the unit’s weapon grades are reset to minimum when you reclass. Ultimately there’s no real advantage in doing it.

Shadow Dragon is not the most layered game in the series, nor is it the longest with only 25 missions, not including gaiden chapters though this playthrough still took me 25 hours to complete. We do get a good, likeable set of characters and it’s great to finally play as Marth. Needless to say if you like Fire Emblem this should be a no-brainer. It’s a pretty ideal place to start if you want to get into the series too

Not that the retailers will help much. I bought my copy on the internet and but for several weeks after release I made a point of checking to see if I could find the game on shop shelves anywhere I went that sells games. Not once did I find a copy, even in game shops. It annoys me that mediocre minigame compilations and self-improvement titles get shelf space at the expence a quality publication like Fire Emblem – Shadow Dragon. Sure, it’s a cult series only for hardcore gamers who like RPGs and are strategically-minded but it deserves praise and much more attention.

Presentation – 8

Clean, crisp and polished with probably the best writing in the series. If you’re familiar with the series you might be able to tell it’s a remake due to a slimmer range of content but when everything looks this professional it’s nothing to take issue with.

Gameplay – 9

Devillishly addictive and highly compulsive. Get into a Fire Emblem game and you could very well find you want to do nothing else. Shadow Dragon is a typically nuanced, deep experience that rewards organisation and patience with immense satisfaction.

Graphics – 8

A clear improvement from the GBA games and a darker, more realistic approach. The 3D character sprites don’t have the same charm of past entries but the maps are much more detailed.

Sound – 7

The rousing, addictive themes the series is known for are present and correct and feels appropriate for a game about war. Sound effects are satisfying.

Difficulty – 9

A combination of good enemy AI, fine stat balance and a finite amount of experience available make even the easiest difficulty setting a real challenge. Veterans will relish the high demand on their cunning.

Longevity – 8

Not the longest in the series but still offers a massively lengthy story, with unlockable gaiden chapters, harder difficulties and real replay value.

Verdict

With deep gameplay, tremendous challenge and a high degree of polish Fire Emblem fans, particularly those lucky enough to have been with the series from the start will find Shadow Dragon a real treat. If you’ve not yet dipped a toe into the pool this is an ideal place to start. All-in-all this is one of the finest, most rewarding DS experiences.

9.1

out of 10

Film Review: The Great Mouse Detective

Tags

adventure, animation, Basil, Disney, Ratigan, Sherlock Holmes, The Great Mouse Detective, Vincent Price

Finally after five book reviews it’s time for a movie review and we begin in the world of animation, an area of film-making particularly special to me. As we’ve established I am very much a connoisuer of adventure storytelling and I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that most of the best adventure movies are animations. My three favourite studios are Disney, Ghibli and Pixar, the latter is without any question the best and most consistently brilliant film studio in the world. For this review however I’m sticking with the best known film studio in the world, one that undeservingly reaps a lot of the credit for Pixar’s films by handling their release but has been responsible for a few corkers of iis own. I am of course talking about Disney.

People talk about Disney’s ‘Golden Age’, which ended with The Jungle Book and the ‘Disney Renaissance’ beginning with The Little Mermaid, claiming that the 22 years in between were a low point for the company but I don’t really hold with that. There were classics released in this period, they just don’t get the attention they deserve. Foremost among them is The Great Mouse Detective, released in 1986.

The Great Mouse Detective (sometimes called Basil the Great Mouse Detective) is based on a series of books by Eve Titus called Basil of Baker Street, in turn inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s innumerable stories about Sherlock Holmes. Set in London in 1897 the film presents us with a colourful adaptation of Sherlock Holmes’ world (minus the opium and cocaine) casting the principal characters as mice. Though the characters are mostly anthropomorphic mice Disney have not quite gone down the same road as their excellent adaptation of the Robin Hood legend (another great film from the studio’s supposed dark years). London is still inhabited by humans, among them Sherlock Holmes who we only see in silhouette, his voice provided courtesy of a recording from The Red-Headed League of Basil Rathbone (whose name inspired the naming of Holmes’ mouse equivalent) some years after the actor’s death. The world of Basil, the titular detective is hidden under floorboards and in secret places and Basil lives in a cosy little apartment underneath 211B Baker Street. There’s that tiny-people-living-in-a-big-human-world theme I love so much. It’s a great premise and paves the way for some terrific setting-based adventure.

So what’s the story? It begins with little Olivia Flaversham’s toymaker father’s abduction at hands, or rather wings of one Fidget, gravelly-voiced, peg-legged bat henchman to Professor Ratigan, equivalent to Holmes’ Professor Moriarty, voiced gleefully by Vincent Price no less. Little Olivia (bright-eyed and adorable thanks in chief to her cute Scottish brogue) seeks out Basil of Baker Street with the help of Major Dr David Q Dawson (our plump, very likeable Dr Watson in mosue form). Though Basil appears at first uninterested in the case, preoccupied as he is by his attempts to track down the aformentioned Ratigan, upon hearing about the bat’s involvement his sleuthing brain is stimulated and so begins a thoroughly enjoyable case.

Among The Great Mouse Detective’s triumphs are the way in which some of the more well-known sensibilities of the famous Holmes have been repackaged and shrunk down for kids. Basil is egotistical about his intellect, hell-bent on catching Ratigan and his persona borders at times on arrogance but he is all enthusiasm and breathless, heroic likeability. Most importantly Holmes’ extraordinary ability to deduce very accurately incredible details from the meagrest of clues is cartoonishly intact in a number of scenes, as is the character’s mastery of disguise. Basil is a worthy representation on one of fiction’s most famous characters and has been perfectly presented in colourful, child-friendly fashion and is the kind of hero pretty much everybody will love. Almost stealing the show is the dastardly Professor Ratigan, a quite excellent Napoleon of Crime figure. The rivalry between the two characters drives the whole show and gives real sparkle to the memorable scene where they finally meet near the film’s conclusion in which our hero faces a pretty sticky fate.

The film is pacy too, with scenes taking in seedy bars, Buckingham Palace and most memorable a dark toy shop at night. The plot is tight and satisfying, driven by Basil’s clever deductions, never staying in one place too long or getting bogged down by unnecessary gags or side-plots. There are faults, it’s too short and the songs could be better and I’m not really a fan of the Loony Tunes-style wacky cartoonishness in some places (piano keys wiggling around in a whip-crack wave), but these are minor quibbles at worst and are overwhelmed by the strength of the plot, it’s characters and settings and thew whole sense of fun.

Verdict

The words ‘forgotten classic’ have never been more appropriate. Considering the inspiration and, more relevantly the quality on show here it’s amazing The Great Mouse Detective didn’t enjoy greater success as it should stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Disney greats. Be sure to check it out if you have any interest in animation because this is one overlooked film that deserves attention.

Book Review: The Borrowers – Mary Norton

Tags

Arrietty, borrowers, Homily, Mary, Norton, Pod

I decided to take a short break from my trek through the world of Redwall for two reasons, firstly to avoid overdosing on Jacques and secondly because I have a special reason for wanting to read this book. One of the two writing projects I have brewing away, an as-yet-untitled Victorian yarn, is inspired by stories that play on The Borrowers’ central inspired idea – tiny characters living, hidden in a big human world. It’s a setup I’ve loved since childhood and there are no shortage of such stories. To name a few: Terry Pratchett’s Nomes trilogy, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Pixar’s Ratatouille, The Legend of Zelda – The Minish Cap, and most importantly Disney’s forgotten classic The Great Mouse Detective, which will be the subject of my first film review very soon. I have vague memories of watching Ian Holm and Penelope Wilton in the BBC miniseries adaptation of Mary Norton’s Carnegie Medal winning 1952 book but have curiously never read it until now.

The Borrowers begins with a little girl called Kate listening to a story told by elderly Mrs May who recounts the claims made by her brother about a time he spent in an old house near Leighton Buzzard (Mary Norton’s hometown) while recovering from illness. The narrative then switches to the Clock Family, Pod, Homily and Arrietty, tiny mouse-sized borrowers who live under the floorboards beneath the house’s grandfather clock.

Chances are that if you don’t know the story of The Borrowers you will know the premise. The term ‘borrower’ has long since entered pop culture due to the simplicity and irresistible charm of the idea. Kids of course will be enchanted by the concept of little people inhabiting the underfloors and wallspaces of houses and the rest of us can appreciate the borrower myth because we’ve all misplaced things and everybody is convinced that they have borrowers. This is the key to The Borrowers. It’s not just the little people that work so well but what they do.

It’s a short book and not one with a meandering plot but it doesn’t need one because the whole idea of ‘borrowing’ has all the momentum the narrative needs. The Clock family’s home is furnished with all sorts of nicknacks and trinkets Pod has managed to borrow from the house and Mary Norton’s imagination has done a fine job of considering what small everyday items might becaome for borrowers. Matchboxes become chests of drawers, postage stamps are used as pictures to hang on the wall as decoration, upturned drawing pins make for perfect candle-holders and of course the contents of a doll’s house are the perfect size for borrowers to make real use of. The attention to detail is great, it’s a real treat to lose yourself in this tiny world.

The plot concerns young Arrietty’s first forays into borrowing and her meeting with the aforementioned nine-year-old boy. Along the way we get plenty of detail about other borrower families that once inhabited various nooks and crannies of the house and are given a pretty vivid picture of the perils a borrower faces. Big things happen to the little people by the end and the final line will make you think about the power of imagination.

The writing style is a little dated but the central idea will never age, nor will the scope for what the characters can do, so it’s no surprise that this book has no fewer than four sequels. I have copies of the first two of these knocking around so expect reviews at some point in the future. No doubt I’ll track down the others at some point too.

Verdict

Timeless entertainment that can be enjoyed by young and old. The premise is strong enough to run on its own but Mary Norton hasn’t rested on her laurels delivering detailed justice to to an idea that really deserves it.

Book Review: Lord Brocktree – Brian Jacques

Tags

adventure, Brian Jacques, Lord Brocktree, Redwall

Okay this is the last one for the time being, at least until I’ve read Oucast of Redwall. After finishing Lord Brocktree I took a little break from my Redwall-athon by reading The Borrowers, so that will be reviewed next. And I promise to review some movies and games soon too.

Lord Brocktree, published in 2000 (those dates are important), was the next book following The Legend of Luke and is the first book chronologically in the series (I think it still is anyway – I still haven’t read any others written since yet). Lord Brocktree is the grandfather of Bella of Brockhall, the badger in Mossflower and was mentioned several times in that book. This is his story.

Lord Brocktree starts out promisingly. The mountain fortress of Salamadastron is under threat from what at first seems could be one of the very best Redwall villains, wildcat Ungatt Trunn, brother of Verdauga Greeneyes who appeared in Mossflower. Salamandastron is presently ruled by Lord Brocktree’s father Old Lord Stonepaw and his hares. The hare population of the mountain has been dwindling as, dissatisfied by peaceful times, the youngsters have been leaving the mountain in search of adventure leaving behind an ageing guard who are hard pressed to deal with the threat of Ungatt Trunn and the blue hordes.  Stonepaw sends one of his hares, Fleetscut in search of aid. Meanwhile some distance away the titular Brocktree with his huge double-hilted sword is travelling in search of his destiny when he meets Dorothea Duckfontein Dillworthy (Dotti for short, mercifully) a haremaid and ‘fatal beauty’ on her own jounrey to the aforementioned Salamandastron. Brocktree is inspired to join her and the pair set off together for the mountain.

The introduction of Ungatt Trunn really gives you the impression that the heroes are up against a seriously evil piece of work. His obsession with spiders, the way none of his well-realised cronies dares to look at him and the nature of his vast army of blue-dyed vermin promises a memorable fight but sadly it doesn’t quite turn out that way. Though terrifying to begin with Trunn’s menace seems to diminish. He seems to acquire fallibility and the problems his horde faces undermines the impact of his character as we go along. He’s still memorable but he could have been amazing.

The same goes for the story as a whole. It seems as though Jacques was on autopilot for this one delivering a slightly by-the-numbers tale that occasionally excels. There isn’t the same variety or unpredictability as in Mossflower or Martin the Warrior but in spite of this the book unquestionably has some pretty vivid scenes such as a couple of drawn out escape sequences and the whole episode at the court of King Bucko but rather a lot of what takes place is somewhat uninspired. The biggest problem with Lord Brocktree though is the sheer number of characters, too many to really remember or serve any important purpose for the plot. Brocktree’s story strand is for some time all about a succession of meetings with new characters who agree to join the badger on his journey, among them otters, moles, hedgehogs, shrews and hares (strangely no mice). Likewise on the other side of the story there are a few too many Salamandastron hares to keep track of and characters somewhat blend into each other. Lord Brocktree is frequently upstaged in his own book by Dotti who, for most of the story, seems more like the main character, getting much more to do. There are times when the badger seems hardly to feature.

That’s not to say Lord Brocktree is a bad book. This is still a Tale of Redwall and it’s still Brian Jacques writing it and it’s always breezy and full of lighthearted japes. There are also a few interesting things to enjoy along the way such as the strained relationship between Fleetscut and squirrel warrior Jukka the Sling which is a rare example of heroes not getting on in a Jacques book. The book also reveals how the Long Patrol was first formed and most interestingly tells us the story of Ripfang, Boar the Fighter’s nemesis in Mossflower.

Verdict

Fans will no doubt find plenty to enjoy but if you want to get into the books there are better places to start. Lord Brocktree has its good points and it’s never boring but we’ve undeniably had better.

Book Review: Martin the Warrior – Brian Jacques

Tags

adventure, Brian Jacques, Martin, Martin the Warrior, Redwall, Rose

Well the snow means I can’t get into work today so what better time to review another Redwall title?

Martin the Warrior, published in 1993, is the sixth novel in the series and was, at the time of publication, the first book chronologically in the series, a distinction it retained until the arrival of Lord Brocktree in 2000. It serves as a prequel to Mossflower and develops the backstory of the titular mouse hero. It’s also brilliant.

The story starts with Martin enslaved by ambitious stoat chief Badrang, who, some time earlier after scuppering his ship near their home, captured Martin and his grandmother Windred before marching them across the continent to the northeast coast, a journey that Windred did not survive. With his absent father’s sword taken from him Martin is put to harsh work building Badrang’s stronghold base, Fort Marshank. The warrior mouse vows to reclaim the sword and bring down the slave-driving tyrant.

After standing up for fellow slave Barkjon, Martin is made an example of and tied to two posts on top the fortress battlements in a raging storm. Miraculously surviving the night, he is rescued from ravenous seabirds the next morning by mousemaid Rose and mole Grumm who pelt the aggressors with stones from outside the fortress. Martin is then dumped into the fort’s prison pit with Rose’s younger brother Brome and tough squirrel Felldoh, Barkjon’s son. Rose and Grumm launch a bid to rescue the three captives by tunnel and so begins one of the most varied and event-filled adventures in the Redwall series.

Martin the Warrior and everything about it feels right. The story is a perfect development of Martin featuring a classic triumph over adversity plot with a spirited, downtrodden hero overcoming fantastic odds to overthrow oppression. The characters fill all the requisite rolls and are uniformly engaging, none overdominating or superfluous. The ending is mature and satisfying and the whole thing rounds out into a varied, pacey and immensely rewarding yarn. It’s one of those rare stories that you just can’t imagine being any better. In short it is a flawless addition to the canon that further cements Martin as the best hero in the series.

The plot is divided into three main strands. First we have Martin, Rose and Grumm who, seperated from Brome and Felldoh after the escape from Marshank,  journey to Rose and Brome’s utopian home Noonvale to seek help in bringing Badrang and Marshank down. Then there’s Brome and Felldoh’s amusing exploits with the comical Rambling Rosehip players and their various efforts to thwart Badrang and his forces. And finally we have the story from Badrang’s point of view which concerns his strained rivalry with former messmate Captain Tramun Clogg and his continuing attempts to reclaim slaves and build his coastal empire. All three storylines are packed with incident and variety and compliment each other beautifully sharing a common basis of a central relationship.

Felldoh and Brome’s story starts when the pair are separated from their rescuers and fellow escapee Martin and join up with female badger Rowanoak, garrulous hare Ballaw de Quincewold, vain squirrelmaid Celandine and the rest of the Rambling Rosehip Players. Theirs is the central relationship with the most ground to cover with Brome starting out as a hero worshipper before eventually losing faith in his companion’s ways. In the case of Badrang and Clogg we’re given probably the best example of rival villains the series has to offer. From the amusing faux-courteous beginnings through a series of double-crosses and plots to Clogg’s rambling ending the pair’s interplay is consistently funny and entertaining. And then there’s Martin and Rose whose friendship keeps their story rattling along and frames the whole tale as they encounter pretty much everything in the world on their travels whether it be pygmy shrews, carnivorous lizards or tribal squirrels. It’s a sweet, deeply likeable relationship – the moment when Martin first lays eyes on Rose will melt your heart.

Each tale is great in its own right but with all three playing alongside one another we’re given something truly special, the kind of adventure where there’s always something exciting happening. If one story has a lull you can bet another will be in the middle of something gripping. But most importantly the whole thing feels right for Martin. Everything we’ve learned of the character from previous books and all the expectations that have come with that are completely satisfied and by the final page it somehow feels like it was a story you already knew. That’s how vivid the character is and how right Martin the Warrior feels.

Then there’s Martin the Warrior’s trump card. I won’t spoil it but let’s just say that through a combination of knowing the situation of Mossflower and a faint sense of something intangible present throughout, the book holds a strange inevitability in the story that leads to possibly the Redwall series’ most beautiful ending, pretty much doubling how much you love Martin in the process. It’s one of the absolute highpoints of the Redwall series and really sets the book apart from the rest.

Verdict

A faultless expansion of Martin’s legend that satisfies and entertains in huge measures. Mossflower just about has the edge but there are a multitude of reasons why this prequel should rightly be regarded as its worthy companion and one of the greatest books in the series.

Book Review: The Legend of Luke – Brian Jacques

Tags

adventure, Brian Jacques, Luke, Martin, Redwall, The Legend of Luke

Another day, another Redwall book review. A few weeks ago having finished Mossflower I quickly tracked down a copy of this, the oldest Tale of Redwall I hadn’t hitherto read and it didn’t turn out to be presented as I had expected.

A bit of background. We never learn much about Martin’s past in Mossflower, that job is fulfilled in a prequel, appropriately entitled Martin the Warrior, which I’ll be reviewing next. Martin grew up as part of a cave-dwelling tribe, his father, Luke, is the chief. Luke leaves the tribe when Martin is still young, sailing off in search of the pirates who slaughtered his wife, Martin’s mother, and half of their tribe. Before leaving he gives Martin his sword, the same sword that is broken by Tsarmina and reforged by Boar the Fighter in Mossflower. Luke does not appear in Martin the Warrior but his presence is felt throughout. I thought The Legend of Luke would be nothing else but the story of Luke but I was wrong.

It turns out that The Legend of Luke, published in 1999, is another story about Martin in which he embarks on a personal journey to find out what happened to his father. Having grown up so used to Martin’s two other stories it was a slightly surreal treat to read a new one. This was the first time Jacques had written a third story for one set of characters and it was great to read more about Martin, Gonff, Dinny and the now grown-up Ferdy and Coggs. However the best part of this book was not about Martin.

The Legend of Luke takes place some time after the events of Mossflower during the construction of Redwall abbey. A travelling hedgehogmaid called Trimp pays a visit to the abbey. She sings a song for some of the abbeybeasts and in the lyrics Martin recognises the name of his father. Inspired to finally learn of his father’s fate he sets off with Trimp, Gonff and Dinny in search of the cave where he grew up.

One noteable feature of the Legend of Luke is how clearly defined the three books that make up the story are. The Tales of Redwall are all split into three smaller ‘books’ within the main text but not until now has that split really meant anything. Book one is a linear affair that sees Martin and co. travelling the country towards the north-west coast where they meet Vurg, an old mouse who was part of the crew that sailed off with Luke. He guides them to a pretty memorable setting, half a scarlet ship stuck high up between two of the ‘Tall Rocks’, an archipellago of stone towers off the coastline. Aboard the wreck they meet another former crewmember of Luke’s, a hare named (deep breath) Beauclair Fethringsol Cosfortingham and Martin begins to read an account of Luke’s jounrey. The narrative then switches for the second book to Luke’s story, which accounts for his tribe’s arrival at the coast, of their coming under attack from the villainous pirate stoat Vilu Daskar, resulting in half the tribe being massacred and of Luke embarking on a voyage for revenge. With that story told the third book switches back to Martin and describes the jounrey back to Redwall.

If truth be told, and it should be, the story as it follows Martin isn’t scintillating. There’s nothing wrong with linear storytelling, it can be absolutely gripping (take The Fewllowship of the Ring) but it relies upon set pieces, great settings and unexpected happenings to really enthrall. We don’t quite get the best of that here. Naturally the group encounters a number of characters, friendships are made, allies join for the ride and foes are fought. Book three is pretty much the same in reverse but less of it. Since the ‘ending’ in the conventional sense happens two thirds of the way through at the end of book two, that the story carries on for so long feels a bit odd and at times it seems like Jacques is doing just whatever he can to pad things out. Little that happens in books one and three is particularly important to the plot. Jacques could easily have made all of the adventures completely different and the basic setup wouldn’t really be affected. It’s never less than charmingly enjoyable though, this is Jacques after all, his writing is irresistibly light-hearted and breezy and we’re treated to a few titibits of fanservice revelation. As escapist fiction Martin’s jounrey there and back again is lovely but it’s not the reason we bought the book.

Book two, simply titled ‘Luke’ is among Jacques’ darkest writing. The cheer is dialled down and we get a much more vivid sense of the struggle for survival as we read about Luke’s tribe and their efforts to make a home for themselves in their coastal caves. Luke is a grim, serious leader, a mouse who strives for his people, wholly decent, a heroic father figure and everything I wanted him to be.

And of course every great hero has a great nemesis. Luke’s is Vilu Daskar, a pirate, a gentleman and a real cold-blooded murderer. Dasker is presented as more refined and dignified than most Redwall villains but his ruthlessness is through the roof. Hardly blinking he orders the ransacking of Luke’s caves and for any resistence to be dealt with lethally. He takes his place among the upper echelons of Redwall villains. It’s a very violent and sad state of affairs for a Redwall book and sets up one of the most intense stories in the saga. One moment I won’t forget is when after the massacre Luke, in shock and grieving for his dead wife stands in the way of the oncoming tide staring out to sea apparently not caring if he gets swept away. You really feel for this guy.

So Luke wins a ship and picks a crew to set off in search of revenge, a dark motive for a Redwall hero. What follows is again more linear adventure with ups and downs. Mainly downs. Quite a lot of characters die along the way. I won’t spoil any more than that except to say that after a well-crafted series of events we reach the storm-ravaged finale and one of the out-and-out best moments in the series. It’s satisfying, desperate, nigh-on unforgettable stuff and a flawless piece of storytelling for Redwall fans.

Verdict

If the beginning and end had been as gripping as the middle we might have had the worthiest book in the entire saga. As it is we’re treated to a seriously significant and entertaining entry in the Redwall canon. This is one that fans shouldn’t miss.

Book Review: Mossflower – Brian Jacques

Tags

adventure, Brian Jacques, Gonff, Martin, Mossflower, Redwall

And so for my first review and I have to confess that I’m cheating a bit. I actually read this book a few weeks ago but there’s a special reason why I’m starting here as Mossflower is part of a series of books very close to my heart. Here’s why.

When I was seven or eight my mum gave me a book to read. It was called Redwall and the cover featured a gloomy illustration of a crazed horse dragging a haycart filled with evil-looking anthropomorphic rats. One such rat stood at the front of the cart carrying a long pike with a skull perched on the top of it. He wore a villainous cloak, wielded his tail like a whip and looked like pure evil. In the background was a great building made of soft red stone. This building was the titular Redwall abbey.

Brian Jacques’ Redwall series is set in an imaginary world inhabited by anthropomorphic animals, most of which are native to the British Isles. Published in 1986, Redwall was the first book written in the series (but is not the first chronologically) and tells the story of Matthias, a young mouse living among the order of healers at the abbey. The vividly evil figure from the front cover is Cluny the Scourge who upon discovering Redwall resolves to take it from its owners and so begins a siege story in which Matthias fights to defend the abbey from the tyrant that desires it.

When I read Redwall way back when I was in primary school I was absolutely blown away. I had never before read anything that so vibrantly brought to life a world of adventure. I instantly fell in love, with the characters, with the plot, with the setting, with Brian Jacques’ cheerful style of writing and with the whole idea of adventure storytelling.

Redwall is the book that made me want to be an author. After reading it I couldn’t stop thinking about the idea of writing novels of my own and began to develop a story involving a character I had created. Strangely, though, I can’t say that Redwall itself inspired the content of my new story, at least not at first. However, recent redevelopments of the plot of the fantasy saga mentioned in my first post mirror important themes in Redwall, namely the idea of a young protagonist inspired by a great hero of long ago embarking on a quest to find a lost sword.

Brian Jacques immediately became my favourite author and the good news for me was that Redwall was no one-off. The Tales of Redwall follow a basic formula. Decent woodland creatures come up against a horde of vermin (rats, stoats, weasels, foxes etc.), lead by an evil warlord. What changes is the specific setting (not all of the books are set at the abbey), characters involved and the time at which the events happen.  To date there have been 21 books in the Redwall series, not counting spin-offs and realted publications, with the 22nd due out in 2011. I hungrily sought out each book in the series for the next few years. Then, for no reason I can think of I stopped. The last Redwall book I bought was the 11th, Marlfox. I was aware of new books in the series being published but for reasons best known to my twelve-year-old self I didn’t bother with them.

Until recently. In the years between then and now I revisited the series a couple of times always intending vaguely to carry on reading the newer books but this year I have finally got round to it. It began a few weeks back when I picked up my copy of Mossflower, the second Redwall book to be published. I think I must have forgotten how much I love Jacques’ writing because I was actually surprised by just how much I enjoyed reading it. With my mind made up I decided to read the entire series one by one, including all of the titles I’d missed. Fast forward a few weeks and I’ve so far read four of the books including two I hadn’t read before. Now that I’ve finally got round to starting a blog I’m going to be reviewing the entire Redwall series one by one, starting with the handful I’ve got through so far.

Sorry about the long story, now without further ado, Mossflower.

Mossflower, published in 1988 is Brian Jacques’ second book and is set many generations earlier than the events of Redwall before the abbey was built. The story follows Martin the Warrior, the legendary mouse idolised by Matthias in Redwall and chronicles the saga of war leading up to the founding of Redwall Abbey.

In the heart of the densely wooded Mossflower country stands the fortress of Kotir, which is ruled by the evil wildcat conqueror Verdauga Greeneyes. The local woodlanders live in the shadow of the fortress, their produce plundered by the army of vermin serving under the wildcat. Secretly, though, the Corim (Council of Resistence in Mossflower) smuggle woodland creatures away into the woods to escape the tyranny. Martin the Warrior wanders unknowingly into this situation and quickly falls foul of a vermin patrol.

Mossflower is among the very best of the Redwall books and one of the most enjoyable, pacey and varied adventure stories I have ever had the pleasure to read. The book’s strengths lie chiefly in its characters. Aside from irrepressable, determined and righteous warrior hero Martin we have Gonff the cheerful mousethief, a character Jacques apparently based on his young self, Chibb the haughty, birbeable Robin spy, Ferdy and Coggs, infant hedgehog twins and trouble magnets and, rather importantly, Tsarmina, daughter of Verdauga Greeneyes and villainess par excellence. The plot sees Martin, Gonff and mole Dinny journeying east to coastal mountain stronghold Salamandastron (what an awesome name) to enlist the aid of Badger Lord, Boar the Fighter and have the warrior mouse’s broken sword reforged with metal from a fallen star. Meanwhile the Corim, lead by the Skipper of otters and Lady Amber the squirrelqueen work to thwart Tsarmina’s attempts to re-enslave the woodland creatures.

Mossflower woods make for a very vivid setting, thanks chiefly to Jacques’ descriptive narration (the map in the first pages also helps). Kotir is a sinister presence on the landscape and the nasties dwelling within are amusingly stupid. Tsarmina, having poisoned her father and framed her brother for it is one of the very best Redwall villains, a scourge of inept underlings and a fascinating antagonist haunted by nightmares about drowning. But the biggest star is the unpredictable adventure. There’s little like the buzz you get when something comes unexpectedly out of the blue, whether it be Ferdy and Coggs overconfidently striding off to invade Kotir, Martin and co. falling captive to a tribe of muderous toads or their encounter with a deadly swan.  Too much happens to list it all here but rest assured the book is packed with incident, there really isn’t a dull page. But more than that Mossflower is simply a joy to read. While its principal themes involve war and oppression the never-say-die attitude Jacques fills his characters with, frequent outbursts of song and repeated descriptions of glorious feasting mean that the book is a breeze to take in and infinitely entertaining in a decidedly lighthearted way. If all storytelling was like this the world would be so much happier.

Verdict

Unadulterated pleasure. A sweeping story adorned with hugely likeable characters including the definitive Redwall hero. Mossflower remians one of the finest books in Jacques’ bibliography and a true standard-bearer for adventure fiction.

A World of Adventure Awaits

Tags

adventure

Hello and a warm welcome to roseredprince’s blog.

I’m an adventure writer currently working on two projects (a Victorian era yarn and a fantasy saga), a serious gamer and Nintendo connoisseur and a lover of movies and adventure books. This blog will mostly be concerned with reviews for games, movies and books but I might report on a few adventures from my own life along the way.

So, reviews, here’s how they’ll work.

I’m always playing some game or other, be it brand new or some classic I’m replaying so we will see two types of game review, for new titles and old. I’m very much a Nintendo fan. It’s not that I don’t want the other consoles (I can’t stand haters), I just can’t afford them. I rate games out of 10 but include a decimal point and I also give a score out of 10 for how well the game does in six areas, presentation, gameplay, graphics, sound, difficulty and longevity. It’s quite likely that most of the games I review will score 8.0 or higher. There’s a simple reason for this, I don’t play bad games. For me there are three types of game, those that don’t appeal to me at all and won’t get regardless of reviews, those that appeal to me enough that I’ll definitely get regardless of reviews and those that appeal to me somewhat and will get, rent, or avoid depending on reviews.

I probably take movie and book reviews less seriously and give them a much simpler rating out of a possible 5 stars. I’m usually reading some kind of novel, mostly adventure fiction aimed at children, the very thing I love to write. With movies I’ll review any film I see in the cinema and if I watch one on DVD or TV and feel like reviewing it I will. So there.

That’s all for now, I’ll be posting my first review soon.