Review: Transformers: Fall of Cybertron

Well we promised a full review of Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, and here it is. We'll be covering, the single player, multiplayer, and Escalation mode. Click through to read everything we can possibly pack into a review without giving away any of the goods on the game!

We've had the opportunity to play Transformers: War for Cybertron on the Xbox 360 and have to say, that this game is great for fans of the franchise and people who've never played a Transformers game before. Just starting up in the game you get immersed into the world of Cybertron and the battle between Autobots and Decepticons. The story engulfs you and the game just sucks you in and before you know it, 4 hours have gone by and you've only cracked the surface of what this game has in store.

Initial impressions:

For starters to get this out-of-the-way, I've played the previous two installments of Transformers developed by High Moon and Activision, and they've progressively gotten better, the third installment takes all of the learning from the first two and pushes it even farther, in just about every department. Transformers: Fall of Cybertron feels like the most polished Transformers game yet and that makes getting immersed in the story and gameplay, that much easier for players.

Game play:

Jumping right in the controls are familiar for anyone who has played a first or third person shooter/action game before. Since you don't have to really worry about figuring out which button shoots and which button jumps you can quickly get started in the game. The game also sneaks in some instructions on critical controls (like transforming) so while you're getting into the action you're also learning how to get better at controlling everything. I personally like this approach instead of the traditional "tutorial" mode that has you run through obstacles or play a "dummy" mission just to teach you how to play. I want to get in the game and fast, so giving me quick pointers on what certain buttons do, or how to interact with elements is a much better way to go about it in my book.

Graphics:

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron is powered by the Unreal3 game engine and the Havok Physics engine. There isn't much more that can be said about the Unreal3 engine other than it powers just about every top-tier title on the market and we all know what it can do. In this case it really makes Cybertron come alive, from the interiors of ships to the moving and "transforming" walls on Cyberton, all the way to the details on the individual Autobots and Decepticons.

The Havok Physics engine adds a lot of great effects with gravity, explosions, falling bodies and moving elements and it's great to see that it has come a long way from games like the Starwars the Force Unleashed. It is great to see destroyed Decepticon parts flying and bouncing around as you plow your way through levels.

The environments themselves are not the typical "lush jungles" or "rubble filled cities", the game is set on the high-tech home world Cybertron. That means everything is metal and it feels like an inside out space ship, as you walk around there are terminals and piping but you look up and can see the vast skyline.

The character modeling is great for the main playable characters, and the more notable bosses. There is a bit of redundancy when it comes to the random no-name Autobots that you meet along the way. The enemy character models are about the same, as you go through the levels you're introduced to specific classes of Decepticons, and you'll see a lot of them. There are differences between the classes, but not the bots within the class, so you'll certainly see hundreds of the same Decepticons, but then again, that is exactly how the Cartoon was so you can't really complain.

Single Player Campaign:

Full disclosure here, I haven't beaten the entire game yet, but every time I power up my console, I play through at least one more chapter of the game because it sucks me in!

The single player campaign is centered around the Autobots attempting to flee from Cybertron and the take over of Megatron and the Decepticons. You are faced with the challenge of protecting the Arc and getting it off planet to save the Autobot race. This is the most pivotal part of the Transformers story line and is what eventually leads the battle to our Earth. The campaign does a great job of making you feel that it is really important and everything you do, every challenge you face is bringing you one step closer to being the hero of the Autobots. Of course, it's not easy, even on Normal you're going to die, a lot, but luckily you can quickly load to your last check point to try and try again, until you figure out how to get passed those darned Decepticons.

The campaign progresses you through different Autobots that you can control. Each Autobot has their own unique characteristics and play style, if you try to run in and destroy everything with Bumble Bee like you do with Optimus Prime, you're going to fail. The campaign also does a great job of introducing new enemy character classes, each with their own methods of acting and fighting. You have to constantly adapt to what the game is throwing at you and one style of play just will not get you through this game.

Multiplayer:

The multiplayer portion of this game is something that I was really looking forward to playing and getting in to. Jumping in to battle as an Autobot or Decepticon is always a great feeling and having to deal with different play styles and techniques offers a challenging twist. As a Transformer you have two modes for your character, full robot or vehicle mode, each offering its own advantages and disadvantages.

You have to stick with your team in this game, more so than in games like Call of Duty, or Battlefield. You have to rely on your team mates to help you destroy the oncoming enemy team. If you're a "Destroyer" and you go up against an "Infiltrator" and a "Scientist" you're going to lose. The "Scientist" will sit back and heal the "Infiltrator" and even if your "Destroyer" has better weapons you're not going to be a match for a constantly healed bot.

The main game modes are the standard Team Death Match, Conquest, Capture the Flag and Headhunter. Each one is played on the vast landscape of Cybertron, with each map having its own unique terrain and challenges. The maps are huge, and you're going to need to use both your robot form and vehicle form to navigate them. The maps do offer a lot of choke points and areas for all out battles, but you could easily get lost on a few of them and never see an enemy.

Escalation Mode:

Simply put this is co-op / Horde mode that's been in previous (and multiple other) games. You pair up with up to three friends (four players total) to face off against waves of oncoming enemies. Similar to the Call of Duty style of Special Ops, you get to purchase upgrades and enhancements between waves based on how much carnage you've handed out. It is a lot of fun and with the different bot choices you make you get different abilities and need to use different play stiles which certainly increases the replayability.

Character Customization:

I've read all about the character customization, and the idea of building my own Autobot / Decepticon with the abilities that I want and the look that I want really appealed to me. At this point, the customization could use some more improvement, even though I'm used to unlocking additional "skins" or enhancements for my character through leveling, I just felt that the number of choices were limited. You can't really combine abilities of specific classes so you're locked in to a set of abilities from the get go. There are a limited number of head/torso/arm/shoulder/leg combinations, that although sizable, doesn't really allow you to create a "truly unique" robot. Yes you can customize the color (Autobot and Decepticon options) and you can apply different decals, but I guess I just wanted more variety. you also don't really customize your vehicle form other than color and weapon, so if you are an Infiltrator in vehicle form you'll see four more like you during any game.

Summary:

All things considered Transformers: Fall of Cybertron is a great way to kick off the video game release cycle for this year (see what we did there?). The game is fun, fluid, action packed and adds some refreshing play to tried and true game modes. The different classes and different play styles of each reminds you of Team Fortress, with game modes taken from Call of Duty and Gears of War, mixed with a dash of Twisted Metal thrown in for good measure.

The single player is challenging, but not demoralizing. The multiplayer is vast and action packed. The Escalation mode enhances a great game mode with classes and vehicles. All in all the game hits all the right buttons all the right ways.

Recommendation:

This game is a definite BUY

Ryan Carroll is a technology enthusiast interested who shares his opinions and insights of technology through his blog http://www.techstify.com/. He founded his blog after seeing other technology blogs and feeling that they did not provide the insight that he was looking for when it came to technology, video games and phones.

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Review for Nodame Cantabile - A Romantic Love Story

Nodame Cantabile is originally a series of Japanese manga drawn by Tomoko Ninomiya. The manga was later turned into an anime and Japanese Drama. While the manga provides a quick story, the anime and Japanese Drama allows the audience to enjoy fully the classical music that is being played.

Noda Megumi prefers to be called Nodame: she was a talented pianist who was able to replay a piano piece even though it was played only once to her. Another talented being in the story was Shinichi Chiaki, who was from a family of talented musicians. Chiaki was listening to a mysterious player's piano playing, he concluded that the piece was played in a messy way but was astounded that the player had every note right, rushing to the piano room, he missed meeting the piano player.

It was by chance that he realized that his neighbor was the piano player he had listened to earlier on, and when he entered the bedroom he was shocked at the sight of mess and smell. Nodame came to worship Chiaki, who was a good violin and piano player. Thus began a story that is funny yet romantic.

There were a few difficulties along the way, mostly was the race between Chiaki and Nodame, they both seemed to be trying to best one another. Chiaki knew that Nodame was talented, so he forced her to become a better piano player; his arrogance caused her to rebel at times. The audience or reader would realize that Nodame worships her senior Chiaki and Chiaki would sometimes felt threatened by the pace of Nodame's improvement.

A few interesting characters were introduced to spice up the story more, but none were actually a real threat to their special relationship. The story focused more on their musical journey more than their feeling, but occasionally Chiaki would melt and showed that he cared deeply about Nodame's happiness.

Their relationship status was the main topic in Nodame Cantabile's movie, where Chiaki had advanced far in his career as a conductor while Nodame struggled to catch up. Unknown to Nodame Chiaki felt afraid that she would surpass him soon. It was when Nodame went missing that Chiaki realized his feelings for her, and why he had been forcing Nodame to become who he wants her to be: a great pianist.

Nodame Cantabile is not written entirely as a romance story, it is also a story about friendship and hard work. The people you meet along the way, the experience you gained are important in life, but we should be careful not to lose sight of what is truly significant to us.

Ailyn Koay is a pharmacist in Adelaide, Australia. She is looking to become a writer, if you are interested in her work please contact ailynkoay@gmail.com.

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Connie Smith "Miss Smith Goes To Nashville" - Classic Album Review

Greetings from Asheville, where good music is always found on the turntable, in the CD player, and in the MP3 player. Today's Classic Album Review looks back at a March, 1966 release from the legendary Connie Smith. Miss Smith Goes To Nashville was Connie's third RCA Victor release, and her third top ten album, peaking at number two, her first album to fail to reach number one. The album contained two of her top ten singles, as well, "If I Talk To Him" and "Nobody But A Fool (Would Love You)".

It's a very good opening to this album, with "Back In My Baby's Arms Again". I really like this track, which helps set the tone for the album. It has a Buck Owens "freight train"-style rhythm to it, and a strong Owens feel to the writing, as well.

"Go Ahead And Make Me Cry" is a slower tempo, nice little song, but not anything special. Though the song, itself, is rather ordinary, Connie Smith's vocals are outstanding, here.

The next track features Connie Smith as the girl who just got a break-up letter, but can't face the heartbreak, so she tells the post man that it's for someone else by the same name. You can just hear the heartbreak being held back in her vocals, trying to deny it, but knowing it's there. "Same As Mine" is an interesting song, but the highlight is her vocal work.

"If I Talk To Him Was the fifth Country 40 and fourth top ten single, for Connie Smith, peaking at four in late 1965. It's a bouncy track, with a rather lite feel to it.

Side one ends with a good ballad in "I Don't Have Anyplace To Go". The highlight of this track is how Connie Smith sings the refrain, reminding us that she could bend a note as good as anyone, in fact, better than most. A mid tempo track.

With side one concluded, the record flips over for side two, which opens with "I'll Never Get Over Loving You", a track that Connie Smith also wrote, in addition to being one of her best performances on the album.

The bouncy "Holdin' On" is an average track that left a neutral feeling to me. I didn't not like it, but at the same time, it failed to really grab my attention.

"Nobody But A Fool" is one of my all-time Connie Smith faves. An early 1966 top ten hit, the lite, yet driving rhythm is stellar, and the lyrics are cleverly amusing. Plus, a melody that is infectious and stays with you.

I also have to call "For Better Or For Worse" one that falls on the average side, though the refrain does contain a decent hook. Again, nothing to complain about, performance wise, from Connie Smith, just the song, itself, isn't quite to the level as the album's best.

On the other hand, one would be hard-pressed to find anything wrong with "Will The Real Me Please Stop Crying". This quick-paced number features a great melody, handled with excellence by Connie Smith.

I mention, from time to time, about what I feel is the importance of a good ending track and how it can effect the overall feel of the album. You can have ten average songs, and then the final track is a classic, the album seems better, to the listener, at the end. Or, you can have ten killer songs and a stinker for a finale, that can leave the listener with a lower opinion than the overall body of work deserves. Here, you get a fine ending track, with "If You Won't Tell On Me", which is a bouncy, infectious melody that will tend to stick in your head. Good end to this disc.

Originally released in both stereo and mono versions, Miss Smith Goes To Nashville has actually been on CD, having been issued as a "two-fer" with her self-titled debut album. Though now out of print, you might be able to find a used copy of this release. As for original vinyl, most of the copies I found were pretty decently priced, ranging from $5 to $20.

My pick for Standout Track goes to "Nobody But A Fool", while my Hidden Gem has to be "Back In My Baby's Arms Again". I give "Holdin' On" my Weakest Track, as it just didn't do anything to grab or hold my attention.

Overall, a very good and entertaining album to listen to. It contains a nice mix of tempo, ranging from medium-slow to fast. The songs are also good quality, coming from top songwriters of the era like Bill Anderson, A. L. "Doodle" Owens, and Dallas Frazier. The compositions are different enough that, even with similar arrangements, there's no feeling of sameness, at all. And then, there are the vocals of Connie Smith. I admit that I'm a big fan of her music, and when you listen to this album, it's easy to see why not only me, but many others have that opinion. Simply outstanding vocal work. She can belt it out, but also hold back, when the mood calls for it, and in either form, the pitch and diction are dead-on. It seems that our most recent reviews have all been good albums, and this one continues that trend. I give it a 4.5 out of 5.

Your thoughts?

Michael is a blogger and radio host whose passion lies in classic Country music. His Ultimate Twang blog features reviews of vintage Country music albums, along with spotlighting singles from Country music history. All of the reviews can be seen at http://ultimatetwang.com/blog/. In addition, he hosts a weekly classic Country music show, also titled Ultimate Twang, on the online radio station, Asheville Free Media. The show is heard live, worldwide, every Thursday afternoon at 4p EST, plus can be replayed anytime. http://ashevillefm.org/.

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Film Review: 'The Dark Knight Rises' Ends Nolan's Trilogy In Massively Epic Fashion

Plans. The very thing that we, as human beings, believe we have become so adept at fashioning that we sorely fail to take the time to reflect and realize that all those plans mean little in the grand scheme of things. Plans for our week i.e. our daily agendas. Plans for our weekends, family and vacation time. Plans for our lives. Life. Something so fragile, yet something we treat so brazenly - that often times, we forget that for all our planning, one never truly knows if he or she will be here long enough to see those plans realized.

In my excitement and almost uncontrollable anticipation of Christopher Nolan's silver screen finale to his celebrated, genre-altering Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, I made the cognizant decision to forego any and all press screenings in lieu of seeing the film for the first time at midnight with the true blue fans of the character. For those who know me and visit the site regularly, it's no secret that I am a die-hard "bat-fan" - with every piece of my being. I believe with all my heart that Bruce Wayne is the greatest of our heroes... with all his flaws and imperfections. His very humanity is what makes him who he is. Something his comic cohorts don't share. Not only have I spent the better part of my life reveling in the stories of an ordinary man with extraordinary means and drive, become a symbol for good, defeating evil that would rise up and threaten life as we know it - but the last 7 years of my life have been spent watching him be re-imagined, realized and given an on screen treatment so true to the vision of Bob Kane and Bill Finger, that it's hard to imagine anything past its close. It is with great weight on my heart to write that unfortunately, the close I so looked forward to would be marred in tragedy and loss...

As I stepped out of the midnight showing of the film, blood rushing through my veins, on my way to a 3:30am breakfast and philosophical conversation with my father about what we had just witnessed, I was made aware of a horrific happening at a theater in Aurora, Colorado, not too far outside of the current residence of a family member of mine. I read the news running rampantly across our Twitter account about a young man who opened fire with a military-grade automatic weapon on a theater full of people, at a midnight showing of the film. Shock. Sorrow. Tears. Frozen. 71 hit, 59 wounded, 12 killed. Yet, for all my tears and sadness, for a group of innocent people doing nothing more than planning to see the most highly anticipated film of the year, none could match the sadness of those who ended up exiting the theater in utter horror and fear (some injured, some not even making it out at all) having not had the privilege and joy of seeing those plans realized... nor their lives lived out. Pain.

My heart, prayers and sincere condolences are extended to the families/friends/victims of this horrible tragedy. I cry tears for them, not truly being able to fathom what they must be feeling at this time. Out of genuine respect and love for those lost and the cinema, respectively, I held off writing this review until tonight. I've spent the last few days attempting to grasp and try to make sense of everything that has transpired; even knowing fully that attempting to pit the rational against something so purely irrational and senseless is a pointless venture. On a day when we could have used a real hero, I can only hope and pray that true justice is realized and that the man responsible for this travesty has his day. This... is for #Aurora. -Nate

I never thought the day would come. I've dreamt it. I've spent the last year of my life thinking there was a very high likelihood that, because of my love for this character and what Team Nolan has done in realizing the true essence of Bruce Wayne and his plight as The Dark Knight, I may run from giving an truly honest and unbiased review of this film. Making my way in line with the hundreds of other rabid fans, I (in my own custom tee, special ordered for the midnight showing, ticket in hand) waded through the sea of cannon, costumes and conversations to my place with the group for Theater 6 and waited. I thought back to June of 2005, when I was reintroduced to a character whose onscreen exploits I had just about given up on, after the Batman & Robin debacle that buried the franchise in the late 90's. I was going through a particularly rough time in life, and watching Bruce Wayne find his place in society, via the origins of The Batman (via the director of little art house crime thrillers Momento and Insomnia - and featuring a great mysterious young actor in Christian Bale donning the cape and the cowl, as well as the face of Bruce Wayne), gave me hope that I could do the same; and conquer my own fears. It was in this time that I truly found myself and was able to grasp my purpose, to some extent, realizing who I was during a time where I wasn't always sure. I proceeded to see Batman Begins 8 times in the theater over the next two weeks, finding something new to revel in upon each and every viewing. It changed my life. It was stellar.

I don't have to sit here and write about the well-documented brilliance of that film nor its successor, the billion-dollar worldwide phenomenon; the Godfather II of superhero films, The Dark Knight. Everyone is well aware of the performance of the late Heath Ledger as Bruce's arch nemesis, The Joker; a truly frightening and compelling tour de force. It was a performance that redefined what villains could be in superhero films, in a film that redefined the genre all together. Lest we forget the performances from Oscar® winners and nominees Sir Michael Caine, (new nom) Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman (all back for TDKR and wonderful, even if given less to do) - let alone the strong performances from Aaron Eckhart and Maggie Gyllenhaal Unfortunately, that film was marred in tragedy, with the gifted Ledger passing before his time, prior to the release of the film, from an accidental prescription medication mixture. Again, plans gone awry. Ledger would go on to win a myriad of well-deserved, posthumous awards, including the Best-Supporting Actor Oscar® for his performance. Still, the community had lost one of its youngest and brightest... far too soon.

Disclaimer: I refuse to sit here and compare this film to TDK. It's apples and oranges, and frankly better saved for another time and another Op-Ed. Fast forward four years to now. Team Nolan would have the chance to do something that hadn't been done in the genre ( a genre redefined) before - by sticking the landing on the third film of a true blue trilogy. That being, three movies sharing one story (Bruce's) but still being able to stand alone in terms of tone, with a beginning, middle and end. The Dark Knight Rises was billed early as the end of a journey. The end of a legend. THE END. The brilliant Tom Hardy was cast as the physically and intellectually imposing Bane, Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a young GCPD beat cop... the anticipation began to spread; people pondering what Nolan might possibly do. That he may go places and do things no other superhero film before it had done. Let me tell you that he does... in spades.

The Dark Knight Rises gets its cues from comic arcs such as Frank Miller's celebrated "The Dark Knight Returns", "Knightfall" and "No Man's Land" - but I urge you not to read to much into this, as Nolan and his co-writers, brother Jonathan and cohort David Goyer, are known to pull from but not mimic these stories, in lieu of creating custom stories that take pieces from each in order to maintain the element of surprise. Nolan is well-known in the director-sphere for his coy nature where his films are concerned. Rightfully so. There are more twists and turns than a game of Chutes & Ladders (for all your board game fanatics out there) in the third act of TDKR, none of which will be revealed here.

The basic premise of the film is an aging, mentally and physically deteriorated Bruce Wayne 8 years after the events of The Dark Knight has left him pondering his place in both his personal life and as Batman, and in full-on hiding. Hiding from a society that has been cleaned up significantly and doesn't need, or particularly want, him. Bruce is lured out of hiding by the sly, witty grifter/thief Selina Kyle (played brilliantly here by Anne Hathaway; not once referred to in the film as Catwoman) and Miranda Tate (the wonderful Marion Cotillard), who is aiding Bruce with a Wayne Enterprises venture that will help both the city and the world. In the midst of, a vile terrorist threat, Bane (Hardy in a brilliant turn), comes to the forefront, backed by an army, looking to force citizens to take control of Gotham, while defacing all that was built by Bruce and Gordon's pact at the end of TDK. This proves the stroke that will bring Batman out of hiding (much to Alfred's chagrin, and Lucius' joy) to face his greatest challenge yet, while completely unprepared physically, mentally or spiritually for what's to come.

If you believed he was put through the wringer in TDK, you've seen nothing. Bruce is tested in every possible way in this film and the result is something so emotionally gripping, I sat on the edge of my seat with a massive lump in my throat from around the beginning of the second act on. It didn't come easily though, the first act of the film has its issues. With so much story and so many new characters to establish, everything moves at a very break neck pace. Even after the spectacular opening where we are introduced to our villain via an awe-inspiring plane commandeering (the prologue, for those fortunate enough to see it this past December), one that would make anyone from the Bond franchise blush, it seems as though there is a ton packed into the first 60 of 165 minutes. Despite the set up pacing, we are treated to two particularly special sequences, one where idealistic GCPD beat cop John Blake (the absolutely stellar Joseph Gordon-Levitt) visits a rebuilt Wayne Manor to discuss an occurrence that needs Bruce's attention and Selina's run in with a slithery snake in a seedy bar during an important exchange, where she shows her acing ability in more ways than one (in quite hilarious fashion, might I add). Hathaway gives us a completely revamped, much stronger Selina than we've seen in past interpretations - and it's the best yet. She plays her damaged, but not neurotic, strong but not without compassion. Coming from a big fan of Michelle Pfeiffer's turn, the Rachel Getting Married actress is a revelation and proves her skeptics wrong by miles.

Which brings me to the aforementioned Bane (Hardy). The primary, masked villain of this story, known for breaking the Bat in 1993's "Knightfall" story arc, is the absolute epitome of evil. He, much like Hardy's description a few months back, is a terrorist in every sense of the word. Highly intelligent, highly physical, a precision surgeon in hand-to-hand combat and a man concerned only with carrying out his agenda, takes no prisoners. If The Joker was an agent of chaos, with no plan, Bane is an agent of order... a man who, with every bit of his being, has long plotted and will do any and everything to see his plans carried out. He is skilled, ferocious, visceral and has what Alfred refers to as "the power of BELIEF". He gives Batman a run for his money and presents the first villain in this trilogy that could wipe the floor with Bruce, physically, if he so chose. What Hardy does with this role is brilliant, as 2/3 of his face is covered with the mask (we won't give you why he wears it), thus most of his performance resides in his eyes and mannerisms... and he is beyond compelling. He commands the screen each time he appears and does not disappoint. We've heard the complaints, "not big enough", "can't understand him"... blah, blah. Let me be very clear in this; a massive hulking Luchador mask-wearing comic book Bane would not fit well into Nolan's world, and I understood 99.9% of what he said with no problems whatsoever in my viewings. The portions I didn't, I suppose I wasn't meant to. This is a part of what makes him so menacing, the mystique surrounding him. While Nolan does give back story to support him, it's not enough to bring about much sympathy where he's concerned. He is a lear cut villain and it is very increasingly apparent from the word "go". He has complete disregard for human life and shows it time and again, throughout. Not the hulking, mindless brute you remember from the embarrassing B&R. Hardy is wonderfully cast and proves again why he is one of the industry's most talented, versatile young actors.

Technically, the film is absolutely astounding. Capturing over a full hour of IMAX footage (more than any film prior), Oscar®-winning cinematographer Wally Pfister is able to capture such depth and scale that when seen on the 70MM IMAX screen (and you should spring the extra cash to see it the way it was meant to be seen), you feel as though you're in each moment. Every bead of sweat, every emotion, every action sequence is so massive in scale that you can't fight your rising pulse as sole composer Hans Zimmer's primal, tribal score pounds your chest at every turn. It is also equally emotional as it takes cues from the two previous films' more tender moments. While not quite as groundbreaking as the unnerving TDK score, this is a close second with a far less structured feel... fitting for the tone of the film, which blends feel from both Begins and TDK. At times, the film doesn't seem to know when it wants to go into 70MM mode, versus 35MM, but it's less than noticeable for someone not looking. The sweeping city shots are truly something to behold, as are the arial shots during the opening sequence. This is the grittiest, dirtiest version of Gotham we've seen, as much more of this film (compared to Begins and TDK) is shot during the day, giving us a full view of the bleak nature of the film. Seeing Gotham covered in a thick blanket of white snow and ice, while the military Tumblers tread across land, gives us a beautiful, if not harsh and stark, contrast of light versus dark, good versus evil.

Quite simply, despite slight early pacing issues and some rather conventional, though COMPLETELY justified, choices late, Nolan does what no director in the genre has done before him and sticks a stellar landing for the third and out. The Dark Knight Rises is one of the most satisfying, rewarding ends to a trilogy and film that I've ever seen. It brings to mind powerfully emotional storytelling the likes of Star Wars: Episodes IV-VI or The Lord of the Rings. It has completely defined an era and redefined what the superhero means to us, by keeping Batman what he's always been... human. This is Bruce Wayne's story, a human story that just so happens to include The Batman - not the opposite. Bale does him considerable justice in his most multi-layered, emotional turn yet. He is absolutely riveting. His human, flawed portrayal is why we vest ourselves in the character so diligently; we can relate on so many levels, even if we don't know what it means to put on a cape and a cowl and defend what we believe in most, with everything we have.

Our Rating » 5/5 Taped Glasses

Nate 'The Great" Smith
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Geek Is the New Cool

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