SoulfulFX Reviews

Midway (2019)

Midway

[10/10 · 8 November 2019]

Really brackets the historical events prior to Midway well--especially from Enterprise's perspective. Nice inclusion of vignettes from the lead up, and battle itself. Some gloss over on the intel build up, but I expect that's due to runtime constraints.

While this has the usual war film embellishments, I think it does well for tackling so much in the time it had--definitely worth a watch.

John Carter (2012)

John Carter of Mars

[8/10 · 9 March 2012]

This was a pretty entertaining sci-fi movie. The plot is rushed at some points, but I guess readers of what this is originally based on probably understood the gaps. As someone who never read the "Princess of Mars," I still found the plot easy to follow and actually fairly well paced for a 2 hour runtime. The action sequences are nicely done and except for the CG aliens, the special effects are not intrusive.

I would have liked more time to explore the role of the highly-advanced aliens responsible for the inter-world travel system...but otherwise, I felt generally satisfied with the story.

I saw one review or two say this was "Avatar-lite" but I disagree somewhat. The earth-man rescuing the alien civilization part fits that description, but "Avatar" was almost blow-for-blow the same as the Pocahontas story... "John Carter" is NOT like that...its story is indeed richer.

Definitely worth seeing.

Gun x Sword (2005)

Gun x Sword

[10/10 · 11 January 2012]

Gun x Sword is a great Western revenge style anime series set on another world (colonized). The show is centered around a mecha-driving (called "armors") drifter named Van and his pursuit of "the claw" who murdered Van's wife. Van has a tag-a-long young girl named Wendy who is searching for her brother (yes, the two searches are connected). The story is fairly intricate as it progresses and the way Van and Wendy negotiate through the world they are cast out on is decently thought out.

The series has great action both person-to-person and with the robots. Lots of fun is had seeing Van and Wendy have to deal with each other's eccentricities (especially Van's issue with condiments) and alternate getting on each other's nerves and caring for each other.

The music including intro/ending pieces is pretty catchy and the animation style is nicely done.

Definitely a series worth watching.

Kaze no Stigma (2007)

Kaze no Stigma

[10/10 · 8 January 2012]

Kaze no Stigma is quite a fun and endearing anime despite the description of the manga as being significantly darker. Seeing Kazuma and Ayano grow closer as the series progresses is a lot of fun especially considering how exasperating and hot headed Ayano can be! Its also interesting to watch how Kazuma's brother Ren grows to be a kindler, gentler version of his older brother.

Plot wise there are few wasted moments with plenty of action of the magical variety from end to end. One matter that the anime could have explored in another episode or two was what happened between Kazuma and Tsui Le, as it is you only get a few flashbacks of the events that drove Kazuma to become a contractor/wind magic user.

The intro song "Blast of Wind" is really beautiful and there are two or three ending songs that are nice as well.

Overall, I recommend the series.

Tiâzu to tiara (2009– )

Tears to Tiara

[10/10 · 6 January 2012]

Tears to Tiara is a very interesting take on both the legend of the man who would become King Arthur AND Lucifer. Much of the story's elements and characters are also linked to ancient Welsh legends as indicated by Lucifer's common name of Arawn and his meeting of the elf king Pwyll thousands of years prior to the story's main events. The timing of the "present" events also seems to mesh with Arthurian legends that place his life around the time of the late-Roman era Britain (Albion in the series). Beyond that, much of the story involves fights with the "Divine Empire" (stand-in for Rome) and later against the White Spirits. The story between Lucifer/Arawn and the White Spirits is very intriguing as it totally recasts the image of Lucifer as a protagonist and hero as well as the reasons for his fall from Heaven and his holy war against the angels. Other interesting links to legend are the fact the series mostly takes place at Avalon castle (no Camelot) and real clans including the Gaels and Brigantes are heavily involved.

The action of the series is great with some spectacular sword fighting and a handful of magical elements. The music is both thrilling and touching. I have never played the video game the series is linked to, but this story is very entertaining.

Star Trek (2009)

A new "all-time" movie

[10/10 · 9 May 2009]

I loved this movie through and through. It has all the elements of a great film...tons of action, comedy, adventure, and even some dashes of romance.

The new crew pull off their iconic roles superbly, many of them looking like dead-ringers of their characters' former selves. But these were not copies. These were honest refreshing portrayals that stay true to the characters Roddenberry created while giving the 21st century a fresh breath of the 23rd.

The new Enterprise is beautiful! I understand Abrams was taken with the introduction of the ship in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and I can see the influences in the presentation of the vessel in this movie.

The plot is a good mix of old and new. There are some drastic departures from Star Trek canon which were intentional and I thought appropriate for Abrams goal of re-envisioning the story. There are enough of the classic elements, phrases, tech, and relationships to keep the old fans sated while new twists open up infinite possibilities for more stories.

Can't wait for more!

Lost Universe (1998)

Lost Universe

[10/10 · 10 October 2007]

'Lost Universe' is a futuristic anime series that has some connections to the same "universe" that contains the 'Slayers' series. The animation and character types are also related to 'Slayers' in style which will be immediately apparent upon viewing. The series also shares Megumi Hayashibara's vocals and if one watches the closing sequence of each episode, the connection to 'Slayers' is even more apparent when the chart of the monster race (going from Shabranigdo's minions on up to the Lord of Nightmares) flashes on the screen. The story revolves around a troubleshooter named Kain Blueriver who commands a holograph controlled ship named Swordbreaker. Swordbreaker is one of several "lost" ships from an ancient advanced race. Besides the ship's amazing abilities, Kain himself can wield a psi-blade that uses his own mental strength to take on opponents. The overall plot is not quite as off-the-wall funny as 'Slayers' was, but it still has oodles of comic moments.

Angel Links (1999)

Angel Links

[10/10 · 9 October 2007]

This series is a spin off from the anime series 'Outlaw Star'. Angel Links is a private security firm patrolling space at the behest of smaller businesses needing protection from pirates. For those who have seen 'Outlaw Star', you'll recognize the style and terminology immediately (and Fred Luo makes a cameo right off in Episode 1, watch the party). The main force is lead by a magical imbued 16 year old girl named Meifon Li. In her team are the usual cast of teammates in this sort of series and 'Outlaw Star' fans will see a couple faces and hear a few voices that will ring bells from the episode where the Outlaw Star runs into the Angel Links space station (Valera, Duuz). Overall, the story is a little less focused than 'Outlaw Star' (Takehito Ito helped but wasn't the story creator), but for fans of the series, 'Angel Links' basically provides more stories in the same setting.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2002–2005)

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (Season 1)

[10/10 · 28 September 2007]

This is a beautifully animated series format derived from the characters of the philosophically oriented movie 'Ghost in the Shell'. The animation is closer to the original concepts for the manga and adds amazingly gorgeous music to produce a show that is an instant draw. The characters draw some of the aspects familiar in the movie... Motoko's commitment to her job, Batou's casual-tough guy attitude, etc... though it adds some surprisingly refreshing characters like the blue child-like mini tanks Section 9 rides around in so much.

The same philosophical elements of the movie -consciousness in a cyber-oriented world- are present, but definitely take a back seat to plots focused on political wranglings, terrorism, and general lawlessness. The series seems to be more "all in a days work" themed than the cerebral current of the first film.

Overall I highly recommend this series to all fans, though hope they watch the movies as well.

Hellsing Ultimate (2006–2012)

Hellsing Ultimate

[10/10 · 23 August 2007]

'Hellsing Ultimate': This is not exactly a remake of the original 13 Episode 'Hellsing' anime series. This is an OVA that is retelling the 'Hellsing' story in the animation style and plot characteristics derived from the manga. Compared to the first anime series, the animation is much improved and the characters have a noticeable increase in depth. Thankfully the same voice actors are retained in this series and a few additional ones can be found. While the story in this version is not quite as seamless as in the first anime series, the plot is at least more adherent to the original layout of Kouta Hirano. I certainly look forward to seeing the completion of this anime and recommend the series to any serious fan of the horror genre or anime medium.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

[9/10 · 15 July 2007]

At 2 hrs and 18 mins. this is actually on the short end of runtimes for 'Potter' films, but delivers plenty of bang for the buck. The Dursleys make a reappearance, the angst from the 4th film continues, and the wizarding world is in plenty of uproar over whether or not Voldemorte is really back. Harry and Dumbledore endure repeated attempts to sully their word as the Ministry for Magic asserts the dark lord has not returned. A special group of wizard, the Order of the Phoenix, knows better and rescues Harry from Privet Drive after a surprise dementor attack. Once at Hogwarts, only a handful of students believe Harry and Dumbledore while the rest openly mock him or keep their distance. Harry meets Luna Lovegood, a classmate who has seen death like him and so can see magnificent flying beasts called Thestrals. But also on the scene is Dolores Umbridge -a Ministry hack under Cornelius Fudge who interferes at Hogwarts and replaces Dumbledore at the school when her strict rules and underlings discover Harry has been teaching other students how to defend themselves against the dark arts. However, Harry has also been plagued by mental contact from Voldemort. Snape has been trying to teach Harry the skill of occulemency to block these invasions but Harry continues to see visions including an attack on Arthur Weasley and a faked attack on Sirius Black to lure Harry and his friends into the Department of Mysteries so he can retrieve an orb of prophecy regarding him and Voldemort. A battle ensues between the children, the Death eaters, and the Order of the Phoenix climaxing with Sirius's death and Dumbledore's reappearance to defend Harry from Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange (murderer of Nevelle Longbottom's parents).

Of course there's an enormity of material in the book that doesn't make it to the movie. Some scenes that do make it in include Harry's half-hearted courtship with Cho Chang and the Weasley twins' celebrated escape from Hogwarts while Umbridge is control, and a few others. All-in-all, I think the movie did an admirable job with the volume of material it had to pack into a feature length film. Can't wait for the next two!

Samurai 7 (2004)

'Samurai 7'

[10/10 · 14 July 2007]

This series is a reinvisioning of the 1954 Akira Kurosawa film. The basic story is the same -villagers plagued by rice-thieving ex-Samurai turned bandits hire Samurai from the city to defend their village paying them nothing but rice. This version takes place in a post-war future that mixes machines with some old-world environs in a beautifully animated ensemble that conducts values of noble Samurai versus the corruption of the merchant class with the peasants caught in between just trying to stay alive with some dignity.

The series has a few advantages over the movie in that the extra time it takes to plot out episodes lets you see a more vibrant interaction and development of the characters. The "steam punk" elements may seem to trounce the realism and action Kurosawa included in his original film, but I believe the updated imagery helps convey Kurosawa's story to 21st century audiences. And if you still doubt that, Kurosawa's film in 1954 is considered one of the earliest true "action" films with elements still used to this day. 'Samurai 7' may or may not be a trend-setter, but its imagery, music, and plot do Kurosawa's story great justice.

Transformers (2007)

Transformers

[8/10 · 4 July 2007]

'Transformers' - A really splendid adaption of the once 1980s toyline and spawner of numerous TV animated series. The movie takes a little time to get started, a slow introduction, but it picks up pace very quickly and there's no shortage of robot-mashing action and explosions throughout the film. There is actually a decent attempt at character development with some humorous moments between Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) and his would-be girlfriend (Megan Fox). Basic plot is pretty simple as it is throughout 'Transformers' lore... Autobots and Decepticons came from the planet Cybertron after it was torn apart by war to the Earth to find a new source of energy for machine-based life. Witwicky is a decendent of a colonial-era sea captain who had found Megatron inadvertently frozen in the Arctic and who had accidentally left an imprinting of the power-source's location on the great-grandfather's glasses which are now in Sam's possession. Sam and Mikaela team up with the Autobots to destroy the the source-cube and fend off the Decepticons with the help of the military and a cagey Secretary of Defense (Jon Voight who has become LaBeouf's real-life mentor). I was pleased to see the robots not coming off goofy or over-wrought. Michael Bay has done a great job bringing the old-school toy series to realistic life on the big screen.

Live Free or Die Hard (2007)

Live Free Or Die Hard

[8/10 · 1 July 2007]

'Live Free Or Die Hard': A great action film in the traditions of the 'Die Hard' series. Lots of explosions, John McClane taking out the bad guys, and good guys winning the day. This movie introduces his daughter character I believe you do glimpse in the first movie as a child as well as a hacker kid McClane has to keep alive while the U.S. government (mostly the FBI) tries to thwart cyber terrorists that have shut down most of the nation's key systems ...transportation, communications, financial, utilities, etc... That being said, the plot is pretty progressive and straightforward, no real twists or surprises... just a lot of cool explosions and stunts (the taking out a helicopter with a car scene is worth the admission!). So, no Oscar here for best picture, but a good couple of hours of popcorn popping. And yes... he does say THAT line at least once !

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

[10/10 · 27 May 2007]

This turned out to be a great finale for the 'POTC' movies. Don't be discouraged by its runtime (2 hours 46 minutes)! The movie is so well paced and full of action that you never notice the time pass. The movie includes the gags and jokes that have made its predecessors so much fun and the Keith Richards cameo was a nice touch. There is some room for romance the heartbreak between Davy Jones and Calypso versus the union between Will and Elizabeth. There is the fun foiled banter between Jack Sparrow and Barbossa plus the rest of the familiar faces and a few new ones. There is one heck of a battle sequence near the end, a truly awesome duel of ships! In short, this is a job well done! Don't miss it! Go now!

Chrono Crusade (2003–2004)

Chrono Crusade

[10/10 · 23 May 2007]

We follow the missions of Sister Rosette and her contracted devil Chrono as they battle devils and devil worshipers for the Magdelene order in 1928 Brooklyn, NY. In the process of creating havoc, destruction, and saving lives... Rosette and Chrono must also live through the fact that the source Chrono's power is Rosette's very soul. In their missions they deal with protecting God-empowered apostles (which it turns out includes Rosette's long lost brother Joshua) and a young choir girl who ends up staying at Rosette's place. However, their missions also bring them across devils that remember Chrono's once high status among other devils and so challenges to his power come dangerously often. What is this long time rival of Chrono's, Aion, planning? And how does it factor into the Fatima prophecies of which the aforementioned Apostles are a key component?

This is really a well thought out series with quality animation and an endearing soundtrack. Having a series set in Roaring '20s New York City is a stroke of genius too. There is a remarkable sense of sweet sorrow to the story almost immediately when the audience learns of Rosette's fate as Chrono's contractor. "The odds are good I won't make it past 30.." Rosette says to a young choir-girl and apostle. Between Rosette's boisterous way of life in the short time that she has and Chrono's fending off of hatred by other humans and devils... the comic klutziness of Rosette is a much needed relief.

This series has some unpleasant undertones, but a great message of overcoming any bad hands that life can deal.

Fafner (2004)

Lost innocence, but not dreams

[10/10 · 17 March 2007]

This series reminds me of a mix between Evangelion, RahXephon, and Stellvia. We have this secret paradise-like island where the peace is shattered by the invasion of an alien drone called a Festum. Only a handful of the children on the island are capable of piloting Fafner, a special giant robot with the ability to defeat the Festum. For now, the only pilot is the leading candidate Kazuki who is helped by another boy -Soushi- who handles a supplementary system.

The series has a great musical score sung by Angela (who also sings the songs for 'Stellvia') and seamless animation that does a good job of blending the CGI for the mech fights with the standard animation of the characters and environment.

Definitely worth a try!

Ninja Scroll: The Series (2003)

Not a classic like the movie, but not horrible

[1/10 · 17 March 2007]

This appears to take place some time after the events in the 'Ninja Scroll' movie since Jubei and Dakuan seem to remember each other. The events revolve around a young girl named Shigure and a magical object called the Dragon Stone. Shigure's village is attacked by members of the Kimon clan while another group is also after Shigure but seems to have another motive entirely. Jubei gets entrusted with the Dragon Stone by a dieing member of the latter group so has both sides after him while he's accompanying Shigure to deliver the stone to her. Along the way they pick up a good hearted thief and Dakuan who of course seems to know more about what's going on than he's telling anyone. All in all this series seems kind of average, nothing like the classic-level of the movie. It seems to have more of the monster-per-episode feel of a lot of other series, reminding me of a slightly less well-thought-out Samurai Deeper Kyo. Plenty of fights, monsters, and some character interaction. So not horrible, but not high on the list either.

Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

Howl's Moving Castle

[10/10 · 7 March 2007]

This is a Miyazaki film but not his story, rather a story he took on for a colleague. We have Sophie, a young girl in an early 20th-century-esque war-torn country who gets cursed by a witch to turn into an old hag. To break the curse, she seeks out Howl -a powerful wizard- and his mobile magical castle. Also dwelling there are the fire demon Calcifer (which also holds Howl's heart), and a young boy learning magic. As the story goes, Sophie and Howl fall in love with each other while trying to thwart the witch's curse on Sophie and somehow restore Howl's heart without destroying both him and Calcifer. This is a really touching love story and well worth watching how the supporting characters, magic, and vivid environment bring Howl and Sophie together.

The Nativity Story (2006)

Respectful and poignant

[7/10 · 10 December 2006]

A very respectful and moving retelling of the birth of Jesus. Herod is the villain of course, Joseph comes off remarkably strong and understanding, Mary is a teenage village girl, and so forth. There is some brief comedy with the three wise-men (Melchior, Balthalsar, and Gaspar), but the ending is as poignant as you might expect. It's not that long a movie, approx. 101 minutes... so go take some time and see it. There are some supernatural moments with the appearance of the Angel Gabriel, but otherwise the procession of events is quite practical. It's not the blood and guts of the Passion nor overly-stepped in religious dogma... it's just a story with a happy ending.

Jubei-chan: The Ninja Girl (1999–2004)

Yagyu Jubei rolls in his grave ...in laughter

[10/10 · 29 November 2006]

This series is a hoot! Great comedy, both situational and in dialog (lots of it directed at Jiyo's eh... physical attributes...). Plus, lots of sword fighting action and a good fighting-your-destiny sort of plot going on.

With Jiyo's move from Tokyo to a smaller town and school, there's a nice combo of readjusting to small-town life with Jiyo's compulsion to carrying on Jubei's legacy with the lovely-eye-patch. With Jiyo having to fight off the boys and the villains, its no surprise she only wants a normal life. She spends the introductory episodes getting used to her destiny, and the rest of the series fending it off.

Definitely recommending this one!

Samurai Deeper Kyo (2002)

Sekigahara... not exactly...

[8/10 · 13 November 2006]

This series is quite an entertaining Samurai story. It has elements reminiscent of 'Rurouni Kenshin', 'Samurai Champloo', 'InuYasha', and even 'Naruto.' Some of the history and techniques are even shared with these series...and the split between the cold-hearted Kyo and kind-hearted Kyoshiro is certainly a common theme in Kenshin, InuYasha, and Naruto.

Granted, the history element is just a light part of the plot...quite exaggerated with the monster elements, but it's an entertaining way to project the ideals of swordsmanship, warrior spirits, and who is to inherit the coming of the new era.

The base story is Kyoshiro Mibu, the strongest swordsman of his generation, tried to split his pure fighting spirit away and into the created body of 'Demon Eyes' Kyo. A freak accident during the battle of Sekighara split Kyo back into Kyoshiro's body where he has been searching for his created body ever since. Once confronted with this though, he's forced to come to terms with having a pure fighting spirit or regaining the emotions of his former self.

But the real heart of the story is how Yuya and Kyo manage to give each other reasons to live and salvage some humanity for Kyo despite the fact he is merely a creation.

In any case, this is definitely worth getting into! Great fights, complicated histories, and some cute girls!

Blue Seed Beyond (1997)

Blue Seed 2 (OVA)

[3/10 · 8 November 2006]

This movie is a 3 episode post script on the Blue Seed series.

The story is that some American company worked on a way to artificially create Aragami (the monsters from the series) and their matamas (the blue seeds, their souls) in a lab in San Francisco. The monsters get out of control and attack both in the U.S. and in Tokyo to get at Momiji and her power as the Kushinada. Back in San Francisco, the TAC (Terrestrial Administration Center) reunites to fight them off with the additional help of Valencia, the daughter of the head scientist on the project who was given artificial Matamas to form a being a lot like Kusanagi. The TAC is victorious and some lovers quarrels are resolved between Momiji and Kusanagi as well as Kome and Yagashi.

There is an additional episode (the third) that has the team in a hot spring when a terrorist looking for "answers" holds them hostage in the spring with a bomb set to go off if the water level drops. Lots of fan-service in this one! Needless to say, the team gets out fine and Kome offs the terrorist.

Overall, it was nice to see all the characters back to together again, but the story could have been a little better thought out.

See this, but its not a must have.

Battlestar Galactica (2004–2009)

A thoughtful and thought provoking series

[10/10 · 6 October 2006]

I'm amazed at this series. I literally was not born yet when the old school "BSG" came out and I only got fragments of it in reruns lately, but I didn't care for it much.

This series is a whole different animal though. It's forcefully dealt with gritty, raw, and touchy subjects of modern society such as racism, religious tolerance, military vs. civilian authority, justice, and a whole slew of political issues. It's this sort of bold confrontation of contemporary (and persistent) social issues that so endeared old series like 'Star Trek' to their fans.

The cinematography, I think, helps instill a realistic environment to contain the real issues the series takes up. The cast is also a great asset to the series as they bring out the emotions that come with survival against a relentless foe as well as the in-fighting that can occur when a society is put under such enormous pressure.

All in all, 'Battlestar Galactica' is no mere remake of the old "BSG". This is a fresh and well written sci-fi series that I think anyone of any background could connect with.

An Inconvenient Truth (2006)

A change of mind

[8/10 · 6 October 2006]

This movie was really interesting. It's a documentary of course... narrated/hosted by Al Gore where he goes over the cause/effect regarding global warming, especially in light of increasing changes in climate and weather just in the last year. Thankfully, he also goes over solutions at the end of the movie as well, even the credits give suggestions on how to fix things. Basically, reducing carbon dioxide emissions is at the core of human prevention. The bits and pieces of his life and politics weren't that obnoxious, though he could have done without them. Besides the environmental data he explained, I think the most startling fact to me was our population increase. For the whole of recorded history until the baby boomers were born, the world population grew to 2.3 billion people. We're talking for thousands of years. And then, since the 1950s, it's gone from 2.3 to 6 billion people with a projection to 9 billion people by 2050.

Up until seeing this movie I was in the camp that said human impact on global warming was negligible when compared to natural climate cycles. I've changed my mind.