Archives April 2021

IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO DISNEY STUDIOS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON A FEW THAT I MISSED!

Recently the fine folks at Disney Studios (their home page is here) had sent me codes to several of the movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. With Part 1 we were taking a look at the live action version of Mulan and have returned with Part 2 to discussed Soul and Raya and the Last Dragon!

Soul

Joe is a musician that dreams of playing the music he loves while stuck teaching it instead. One day he receives the call of his career, landing a gig with Dorothea and oblivious to the world around him, he falls to his death. Realizing he has passed he refuses to to accept his fate and begins an adventure to try to return to his body and along the way helps 22 find her spark. The story was similar to the film Inside Out it is a bit deep for a children’s film but manages to deliver a meaningful message, to enjoy the little things and that your dream isn’t always all that it is cracked up to be.

Raya and the Last Dragon

The timing of this film could not have been better, in a time where Asian hate is at a high delivering a wonderful film full of Asian characters and cast was a fantastic coincidence. The movie had been in production long before Covid but somehow managed to be released when it was needed. The story follows Raya in a world where creatures made of purple smoke turn any they touch to stone. She must find a way to stop them and bring he father back. Following tales of the last dragon being at the end of the river she searches for the one creature that might save them all. The film in it’s entirety was absolutely fantastic. Some of the best animation from Disney to date.

This is what my youngest had to say about Raya:

Have you had a chance to see this film from Disney Studios?

TinyBuild’s Kill it with Fire allows players to kill their eight-legged foe fire but so many other options as well including C4.

We have a saying in our house when we see almost any bug, but spiders and scorpions especially- “Kill it with fire” and with this game you get to do exactly that and more, at least as far as spiders are concerned. The folks at TinyBuild saw fit to share the game with us, not once but twice. We got to test it out on both the Xbox One and the Switch. Personally I only played the Xbox version while my son played both. I will speak to the game as a whole and mechanics followed by his thoughts on which platform is the better experience.

Each stage you must locate weapons, upgrades and of course the spiders themselves. Some allow you to smash, explode, shoot and burn them. I’m certain there are other ways to kill the spiders as well but I just haven’t found them yet. As you find ways to kill the spiders you’ll find each death counts towards unlocking various doors. Some will reveal new rooms, others will reveal hidden documents, a secret chamber or even a storage for ammunition. Visually the game isn’t the most gorgeous but with a game like this it doesn’t need to be. It feels like the goal was focused more on user experience than on a stunning visual and for most of us that experience is much more important.

I thought a traditional controller would be ideal for gameplay but my son, having played both versions, believed that the Switch version was the far superior method for the game. We will have to agree to disagree.

My expectation of the game was it looked like it would be fun but would be forgettable. I make it a point to play each title for approximately one hour, a testament to the quality of the game is how much time I spent after that hour. I played this for three to four hours so far and wish I had more time to invest in it. I can say that this game is not to be overlooked. I look forward to finding each of the hidden weapons and upgrades to use to kill those eight-legged bastards.