Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance - Review

Kingdom Hearts is a series very near and dear to me, in spite of its now convoluted encompassing narrative and its tendency to pad or dance around the issue. As a nine year old brought up on a steady diet of RPGs and fantasy films and TV series, there couldn't have been a better title to put in my hands than the original Kingdom Hearts back in 2002, especially considering all the Disney films I watched repeatedly during my childhood. The seemingly impossible but surprisingly well-handled crossover between Final Fantasy and Disney’s various properties was nothing short of a godsend for me as a kid. By the end of the first installment, my mouth was watering for a sequel. And then came Chain of Memories. As a Game Boy Advance title, it was fairly impressive. As a continuation of the mythos, it’s satisfying enough and did advance the plot, but it’s not a title I often go back to. Kingdom Hearts II, however, is the opposite, it being the game I most often revisit. By the end of my first run of it, I had the most genuine smile on my face. Unfortunately... this seemed to be the last installment of the series that I legitimately loved.

I’ll say it, Kingdom Hearts: coded and 358/2 Days were pointless. Days in particular is the most disappointing entry in the series to date. You would think a title elaborating on the workings of Organization XIII and the tasks that befall its members would write itself, but evidently, there’s not much to look forward to past the same string of recycled missions and re-colored enemies. My distaste for this title did not sway my excitement for the next, though. Birth by Sleep, the prequel to the first game, is one of only two games I've ever bothered to pre-order, the other being inFamous 2 if you’re curious.

This PlayStation Portable exclusive, while a technical achievement for the series, did not satisfy me from a storytelling standpoint. The plot suffers from allusion syndrome by painstakingly tying things together to the original game much like the Star Wars prequels did for the Original Trilogy. The three leads were complete and utter morons. Terra in particular and his relationship with Master Xehanort also emanates a similarity to Anakin and Palpatine’s relationship in Episode III. Either way, Birth by Sleep was an acceptable sequel with some impressive core gameplay. Because of my constant disappointment I wasn’t very excited for whatever would come next. But, seeing as how I’ve gotten a Nintendo 3DS, and was impressed by the demo, I decided to give the latest installment a shot, I bought Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.

This installment marks the series’ tenth anniversary and I am happy to say (especially after that long introduction and retrospective) that it doesn’t disappoint. This is the first I’ve loved since Kingdom Hearts II. One of the reasons being, believe it or not, is the fact that it sets the foundations for the much anticipated Kingdom Hearts III, which is long overdue to hit shelves. The game takes place after the events of Kingdom Hearts II and coded and follows Sora and Riku performing their Mark of Mastery tests to become Keyblade Masters, to do so, they must enter a realm of dreams and awaken seven sleeping keyholes. Along the way, they come across a shadowy antagonist who seems to know where they are at all times. Accompanied by more Disney characters and companion Dream Eaters, who also serve as the antagonist creatures of this title, their test goes through some unforeseen bumps and slopes.

Introduced to this title is Flowmotion, a combat innovation involving your environment, such as wall jumps and swinging on poles, which then can become a specific attack. This is the most welcome innovation to the series in a long time, and makes traveling through each world much more fast-paced and convenient. Returning from Birth by Sleep is the Command Deck, which is now easier to utilize effectively during combat. Overall, the combat feels like the happy intermediate between the original KH, KHII, and BbS, further influenced by the Dream World models of Sora and Riku being reminiscent of their KH designs in their youth.

New worlds include La Cité des Cloches (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), The Grid (Tron: Legacy), Symphony of Sorcery (Fantasia) and more. New characters include the aforementioned companion Dream Eaters as well the cast of The World Ends with You in the returning Traverse Town. I’d rather not spoil every little surprise the cartridge holds so I’ll leave it at. I will admit though that Hunchback is my favorite traditionally animated Disney film and I was honestly disappointed with how it was adapted.

The storyline finally matches the impressive gameplay for the first time in a long time. Again, since it ties into what will be KHIII, the narrative has weight and the plot developments (especially by the climax and conclusion) are important to the series. However, because of the complexity of the story, I find it hard to recommend to anyone who hasn't played KH, KH2 and BbS at minimum. However, the game does offer Chronicles and Flashbacks to satiate the uninitiated if they have the patience for it.

Then again, considering how expensive games are nowadays you might as well brush up on your history and squeeze every bit of juice out of this one. Also, the game seems to pad out its final act and some worlds give less incentive for you to be invested than others. Also, the customization could’ve been utilized for better variation, but as a portable game it’s still impressive. In short, Dream Drop Distance is a welcome addition, more so than most. It’s a game worthy of the 10 year mark and I cannot wait to see where these complicated and tumultuous plot threads build towards in the next game. 8.5 out of 10.

Looper - Review

Time travel is one of those premises in storytelling that can collapse under its own weight and logic if not handled with enough tact. In a clever scene in Looper, the film both acknowledges the fragility of time travel as well as advises the audience not to get bogged down in the technical details. Looper is a film written and directed by Rian Johnson, known for Brick and The Brothers Bloom (neither of which I have seen at this point in time).

The year is 2044, the U.S. is in an economic collapse, and organized crime is abundant. In the year 2074, time travel has been invented but becomes immediately outlawed, but crime syndicates use the technology to dispose of targets in the past, as tracking technology in the future has made it virtually impossible to dispose of bodies secretly. The target is killed upon arrival by a “looper”, an assassin paid by silver bars attached to their victim. To tie up any loose ends, a looper will eventually assassinate themselves from the future, will be given a huge payday and thirty years to live a rich life before being sent back to be assassinated in the past, closing his loop.

Joe Simmons (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is our protagonist. He reaps the benefits of his lifestyle, he’s efficient in his work, he enjoys the night life, and he looks out for himself and no one else. When his contract is up and he meets the future version of himself thirty years his senior (Bruce Willis), he fails to close his loop and a manhunt begins for both versions of him. What follows might be the most invigorating science-fiction film of the past decade. 2044 is a very believable, very poignant vision of our future, the United States economy has crumbled away, cars have remained the same aside from solar panel apparatuses fashioned onto them, phones have been reduced to a tiny holographic square with easy access, and ten percent of the Earth’s population is telekinetic.  In Joe’s future, there are stories of The Rainmaker, a man who is effectively closing every loop single-handedly, and Old Joe has come back to the past to murder the Rainmaker while he or she is still at a young age.

This being my introduction to Rian Johnson, I find myself wishing I had known him prior to this film as both his writing and directing prowess is something to boast about. Looper is very pleasing to the eye, with plenty of visual nuances which serve to have me commend the impressive cinematography. The film takes place in a dystopian Kansas and as dystopia goes, I have no complaints here. The basic premise is something that sounds very flimsy on paper, and the advertising for this film gives the impression it’s a typical action piece, and while it is that in a lot of places, it’s also a lot smarter than that.

Performances are as good as your going to get for this kind of subject material, and there’s even a child actor who won’t give you any PTSD flashbacks of Jake Lloyd, in fact, you won’t know whether to love or be frightened of this little guy. Bruce Willis, for once, actually looks like he’s putting effort into his performance, which we don’t often get these days considering the schlock he attaches himself to. Emily Blunt, despite being a British actress, pulls off a surprisingly flawless Midwestern twang. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors, and while I don't feel the make-up applied to make him look more like a young Bruce Willis was necessary, it does give the performance its own sort of signature. 

Because my reviews offer no spoilers, it’s hard to discuss in gritty detail what makes this film so great without going into that territory, so in short, Looper is very much a film for everyone. A film student and aspiring filmmaker like me can enjoy it from every technical standpoint; aside from a few hiccups and a polarizing ending (I personally liked the ending just fine). General filmgoers can enjoy for both entertainment value while also experiencing something clever and innovative. It’s a please-all picture. 9 out of 10.

The Amazing Spider-Man - Review

Every action has it consequences, and every achievement has its own setbacks. Batman Begins popularized the film reboot, not to be confused with a remake. Just earlier today, I was discussing the difference between the two with a friend and fellow comic book fanatic. We both came to an agreement that a remake is often a re-iteration of a film from a past era, like the many horror remakes released in the past decade. A reboot, however, often revitalizes an established franchise or property based on a single source material. Hence, Batman Begins is not a remake of Batman or any of the three sequels, but a reboot of the franchise set in its own continuity.

Plus, I notice that a lot of remakes tend to re-use the same title as the original work, though not all the time (i.e. Internal Affairs vs. The Departed). In some cases a franchise can have both a remake and reboot, the abysmal 2001 Planet of the Apes is a remake of the original 1968 film of the same name whereas Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a reboot of the property with its own liberties due to the backlash associated with the Burton film. I brought up reboots because Batman Begins has essentially popularized it, especially for comic book adaptations, and I notice that this along with origin stories is starting to grate on audiences and fans alike. The Amazing Spider-Man falls under both categories.

I’m of the argument that there are so many reinterpretations of a comic book license in the actual medium alone that I’m fine with any amount of reboots to keep the franchise going while not affecting the integrity of a particular run, such as the Raimi Spider-Man trilogy, which not only lost its way by the third film in its own right, but was never the most relevant portrayal of the character in my opinion, so I welcomed a different take on the mythos.

The Amazing Spider-Man is a reboot of the Spider-Man property, and stars Andrew Garfield, replacing Tobey Maguire from the previous continuity. The film essentially does its own take on the character’s origin with remains relatively faithful to the source material while taking its own small liberties for the advantages of this particular version. Peter Parker is shy, he puts up a wall with people, but also enjoys skateboarding and is most likely a parkour practitioner, the script essentially modernizes the character and eliminates a lot of the stereotypical notions associated with the archetype. Peter Parker is still very much a nerd, but not like his portrayal in his original iteration and the Raimi films, which contrary to popular belief, is an extremely outdated standard for the most part.

The love interest of this film marks the triumphant return of Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), Peter’s original girlfriend in the comics, who is often misrepresented or dismissed in various adaptations. She’s intelligent and sympathetic, and the chemistry between the two feels more tangible than Peter and Mary Jane from the Raimi films. The villain of this film is Dr. Curt Connors AKA The Lizard (Rhys Ifans) who begins as a mentor and slight father figure for Peter prior to his transformation, which warps his logic and moral compass. Aunt May and Uncle Ben of course return for this new take, played now by Sally Field and Martin Sheen.

Martin Sheen’s Uncle Ben was a major strong suit for me in this film and while I did like the late Cliff Robertson’s portrayal of the character, I prefer how Ben is written in this film, especially in instances where he puts Peter in his place, as any good parental figure should when warranted. To elaborate, when Peter makes a mistake in the original Spider-Man, like when he leaves Ben to work on the house while Peter was out having fun with his newly discovered powers, there’s not even so much as a slap on the wrist. In this film, when Peter forgets to pick up his aunt and ignores Ben’s phone call, Ben forces him to apologize and gives him a stern lecture. It just seems more realistic to me, and I know this in the context of a main protagonist who will dress up in red and blue and swing around New York City like a wildberry Tarzan. However, I still feel it fleshes out how things work in this world, and helps get me invested.

I notice that viewers unaware of the politics behind how the movie was made tend to like it more than those who do, and it also comes down to a matter of preference, camp or no camp, fantasy or grounding it in some form of reality. To me, The Amazing Spider-Man works better for me as an adaptation and the tonal whiplash I’ve heard criticisms on do not affect me, although I do feel that The Lizard’s ultimate plan does feel straight out of a Silver Age title. I prefer to the original Raimi film, but still hold Spider-Man 2 in first place. 8 out of 10.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PS3) - Review

I can’t stand military first-person shooters. I mean it; I CANNOT stomach the generic, consumable garbage your average meathead will pinch pennies over to get their fix. This statement applies to titles that fit that criterion, most notably (and quite obviously) franchises like Call of Duty and others like it. I don’t mean to sound overtly pessimistic and critical, but I can’t help but sigh when an industry is overrun by the same regurgitated bile shoved down consumers’ throats over and over and over again. However, if we’re to be fair, FPS titles do not all fall under the same stereotype and the genre is not the only offender. The point is, it’s a breath of fresh air to see something not only different, but innovative, something that bleeds creativity, heart and soul put into what we as gamers experience throughout wonderful narratives or just honest entertainment. Deus Ex: Human Revolution falls under this category.

A prequel to 2000’s Deus Ex and the often-dividing sequel, Deus Ex: Invisible War. Human Revolution is set in the year 2027, 25 years prior to the events of the original game, and 45 prior to Invisible War. The game begins at Sarif Industries, both famous and infamous for the controversial science of human augmentation, biomechanical, as the nanotechnological augmentations present in the first game have not yet been developed. Adam Jensen, a security specialist, while on a routine security detail, he and other employees and scientists are attacked by a rogue team of augmented combatants, and Adam is critically injured. David Sarif, CEO, has Adam undergo extensive augmentation in order to save his life, and Adam is determined to uncover the truth behind the attack, while the world around him is divided, polarized by those for, against, or indifferent towards what Sarif Industries’ experimentation does for aspects of human integrity and conflicting moralities.

Human Revolution is a stealth-based action RPG with first-person view. As Adam is a man with cybernetic enhancements, various upgrades in the form of Praxis Kits greatly affect how you progress as a player in your exploration. Between a landing upgrade that negates any damage you may have sustained from a high fall, to advanced hacking prowess, to the strength to lift obstacles that would otherwise block a shortcut around a multitude of enemies, this mechanic is one of the best takes on a traditional experience and leveling system I have ever seen. Dialogue choices while interacting with important characters actually have an effect on discovering certain truths behind the big mystery, conversations with NPCs here make the ones in oh so perfect Skyrim a joke.

A shortcoming in gameplay, however, is actual gunfighting, which isn’t much of a step above your average shooter, aside from some of the more creative weaponry. Combat against large hordes is difficult and monotonous, and there is little incentive for it, so naturally, stealth is preferable. Going back to difficulty, Human Revolution is not an easy game. Adam, even with durability upgrades, goes down in a matter of seconds when exposed to excessive gunfire, which attributes to the game’s sense of realism, but can also alienate the casual gamer.

The plot, while never quite hitting that high stakes level of intensity, does justice to the sci-fi genre, and as an avid fan of dystopia (mentioned before, I know), I was impressed. From an aesthetic standpoint, the game is gorgeous, and the environments are interesting, which help the player dismiss the sometimes robotic character animation and faulty lip-syncing (which I’m never a fan of) regarding in-game models. Voice acting gets the job done, in spite of no performance that particularly stands out, but the atmosphere, the narrative, and the fantastic score by Michael McCann help keep everything especially balanced. Deus Ex: Human Revolution, overall, is a fantastic experience for any fan of great science fiction as well as fans of the original game, and this review doesn’t do it nearly enough justice. Experience it yourself. 9 out of 10.

Dragon Age II (PS3) - Review

Dragon Age: Origins is surely going down as one of my favorite RPG titles of any of the console gaming generations.  With repeat playthroughs and hours upon hours put into it, I will be holding onto my copy of the Ultimate Edition for quite some time. As much as many may want to deny it, however, that remarkable RPG that I hold very near and dear... had a sequel, a very... polarizing sequel, to say the least. Now it’s no secret that I’m a fan of BioWare’s Western RPGs thanks in no small part to Knights of the Old Republic and Dragon Age: Origins, whereas Bethesda tends to offer a very open and accessible world with irritating bugs and lack of depth or emotion, BioWare tends to offer an engaging narrative with memorable characters while providing interesting gameplay. However, to put it plainly, they fumbled the ball on this one.

Dragon Age II begins with Cassandra Pentaghast beginning an interrogation with Varric Tethras in the aftermath of the the game’s storyline. In his interrogation, Varric narrates the events preceeding, and we go back to the beginning. The Hawke family, including Bethany, Carver, Leandra Amell, and yourself (first name inputted by the player) are fleeing Lothering during its attack by the Darkspawn Horde in Origins. The player chooses a between a Warrior, Mage, or Rogue as well as his or her gender, absent from the previous game however, is a choice of race, including an elf or a dwarf. 

The Hawke family is joined by Aveline Vallen and her husband, who shortly dies along with Bethany or Carver depending on your class. Returning from Origins is Flemeth, Morrigan’s mother, who helps the Hawke’s and Aveline to transport to Kirkwall in exchange for delivering an item to the Dalish elf tribe in the surrounding area. Over the course of the story, you will become known as the Champion of Kirkwall, and will decide the fate of the city as tension between the Templars and Mages grow, setting the foundations for a war in the next game. You will be joined by many a companion, including Varric himself, Anders (who returns from Dragon Age: Origins – Awakening), Isabela (originally a duelist in The Pearl brothel in Origins) and others.

Shawn Hawke, my protagonist.

To get straight to the point, being the Champion of Kirkwall isn’t as exciting as it may sound, especially when compared to being a Grey Warden in the first installment. Due to Kirkwall and the surrounding mountains being the primary setting for the story, you’re unfortunately reduced to a custodian with a sword, but not quite a mercenary. The plot suffers heavily from being mostly (if not entirely) build-up for Dragon Age III, which at the time of this review, is in development. While I did feel that the climax and ending to the game were satisfactory, a lot of the preceding narrative remains stagnant from a storytelling perspective, I found myself uninterested a considerable amount of times.

Taking example from the Mass Effect franchise, the dialogue list from the first Dragon Age has been replaced by the dialogue wheel and like the aforementioned franchise’s Commander Shepherd; Hawke has a voice for both genders as opposed to The Warden being the silent protagonist outside of taunts and quips during battle. Core gameplay and user interface have also seen a significant change, as abilities have been organized into different sections and trees depending on specialization, which replaces the original game’s ability chart. Combat is now more action-oriented, with added button mashing and faster-paced conflict. While I miss the more methodical gameplay adopted from KotOR, I do like Dragon Age II’s new mechanics. I just wish they were as varied as the previous game’s.

Despite my complaints, I can’t help but admit that the new characters grew on me, and they helped carry me through the tale, as well as cameos of characters from Origins based on my imported save file, and save imports throughout sequels are always a plus for me, especially when it deals with a different main protagonist. I'm also not sure whether the graphics are better or worse than the previous game because of the very different design choices, but I do feel that Origins seemed to have more life in character expression. In the end though, Dragon Age II, while a disappointing sequel, does have more heart than most generic titles out there, even if at times it can get extremely, and I mean extremely boring. I look forward to seeing how BioWare will hopefully making up for its shortcomings in the next installment, which this successfully got me excited for. 7 out of 10.

Whatever Happened to the Handheld Gamer?

I remember a time when portable gaming was just as viable as console gaming, at least in my own experience. When I was younger, I’d be just as excited getting a new title for my Game Boy Color (and later Advance) as I would for my console systems. For my birthday, there could be a game coming for the GBA that I was more excited for than something new for the PS2 that would obviously have superior graphics and more advanced technology and innovation. Yes, there are still plenty of gamers out there loyal to portable systems, but recent inventions have drawn a border between the devoted and casual world of gaming.

Today we have the Nintendo 3DS and the PlayStation Vita competing for attention like the Game Boy and Sega Game Gear 22 years ago. The difference between today and now goes beyond just graphics. With the institution of smartphones and devices such as the iPad, portable gaming to the casual consumer is cheap and harmless. Why pay $40 for the latest 3DS title when you can get Angry Birds for $0.99 on your Android or iPhone, the same device where all your apps and other instances of convenience call their home. With today’s smartphones acting as on-the-go, miniature computers, the instant accessibility and price range is quite appealing to the general public.

On April 21^st, 1989, Nintendo had released the revolutionary handheld gem known as the Game Boy. Back then, it wasn’t too far away from the capabilities of a Nintendo Entertainment System if you look at it from a modern perspective, titles for this system were not unlike what’s offered in the library of apps and digital stores today, such as Dr. Mario and Tetris, which are both (particularly the latter) popular to this day. Nintendo kept the momentum going nine years later with the Game Boy Color, which not only offered what the system provided in its own title, but was also a more powerful device, not by leaps and bounds, but just enough to keep the old and new generation satisfied. I feel it’s important that the original Game Boy had lasted almost a decade before a successor, as systems nowadays would never last that long. You’re lucky if you get to a half-decade. Sure, the Game Boy had redesigns prior to Color like the Game Boy Pocket and Game Boy Light, but those we’re purely cosmetic.

Other than the Sega Game Gear, Nintendo never had any competition in this particular market until the PlayStation Portable hit Japanese shelves in 2004. By then, the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance had already become a staple, and the Nintendo DS had been released a month prior to the PSP. Smartphones were around by this time, but not nearly as accessible or embedded into popular culture as they are now. The PlayStation Portable, while boasting far more powerful graphics and machinery, did not live up to much critical finesse nor did it sell as well as the DS due to Nintendo’s broader demographic and the PSP’s lack of stellar installments that we’re neither ports nor spin-offs of already established console franchises.

At the time of this post, I do not own either a 3DS or a PlayStation Vita, but I can tell you that I am more interested in the 3DS, the Vita may be the more powerful machine, but fancy graphics do not account for superior entertainment or art the same way special effects relate to filmmaking. Also, I do own a smartphone of my own, and have played some of the popular titles, such as Angry Birds and the admittedly addicting Bejeweled 3 and Plants vs. Zombies, which I both originally played on a PC. But this goes back to my point that a smartphone as well as other devices such as an iPod Touch are practically handheld computers. “I can play this on my phone, you say? Well, my phone is always in my pocket. The game’s always available to me, then? Well, that’s awesome.”

The fact of the matter is these innovations are leaving a hole into the handheld market. Yes, there will always be longtime fans (like myself) who rush out to buy the latest Pokémon version and shamelessly buy port after port of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (and yes, I do plan on getting the 3DS remake). However, with parents letting their toddlers fiddle with an iPad (which I roll my eyes at and sigh and I’m not even twenty years old yet), and the wider appeal of simpler, more run-of-the-mill entertainment for a buck or two is sadly a little more welcoming to the uninitiated. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying handheld gaming is a dying effort; I’m just worried of its increasingly plummeting significance. And so at the end of this all, I ask fellow gamers, will you keep the fire burning?

He Who Would Break The Bat

With The Dark Knight Rises already out and myself personally loving it, I’ve honestly become a little Bane crazy. I was very much looking forward to seeing him in the film given that I know about his origin from the comics and how he works. While Bane isn’t exactly a favorite villain of mine, I think he’s very effective when given the right story. However, I feel that he is often misrepresented when portrayed outside of the original source material, and find it ironic that his reinvented persona in The Dark Knight Rises is the most accurate portrayal he’s had outside of the comics aside from a single cameo in The New Batman Adventures.

Bane first appeared in Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 in 1993, written by Chuck Dixon. Dixon, Doug Moench, and Graham Nolan (illustrator) originally conceived the character as a dark mirror to the classic pulp action hero Doc Savage, and was created for the well-known Knightfall storyline. Bane, as written in Vengeance of Bane, was born and raised in the amoral Santa Prisca prison Peña Dura to serve his father’s sentence. Bane honed his natural skills to train his body and mind, reading as many books as he could get his hands on as well as taking tutelage under a Jesuit priest and progressively becoming the most respected and feared inmate. Because of this, the prison holders forced him to become a test subject for the Venom steroid, previously introduced in Batman: Venom (Legends of the Dark Knight #16-20) where Batman had attempted to utilize the drug to his advantage, which less than stellar results. Although the drug had almost killed Bane, he ultimately survived the treatment and found that it greatly enhanced his physical strength, and was fitted with a supply of it, he must take a dose of it every 12 hours, or he will suffer dire side-effects.

As a child, Bane suffered nightmares of a demonic bat, and sees it as a representation of Batman. That, and coupled with the fact that like Peña Dura, Gotham City is a place where fear rules, Bane feels that a confrontation between them is fate. And so we begin the Knightfall storyline, where Bane leads a mass breakout at Arkham Asylum, and Batman is forced to overexert himself for three months getting a good amount of his rogues gallery back into the asylum. Exhausted by the end of it, Batman retreats back to Wayne Manor, where Bane (who had deduced his identity) ambushes him and in one of the most iconic scenes in Batman lore, breaks his back, leaving him unable to walk.

Part of the reason Bane has been so well endowed in terms of the comics is because there was enough build up toward his character, he was able to take a steroid that Batman himself couldn’t utilize and use it to his advantage, makes him a more physical durable and offensive force. However, unlike portrayals like Batman & Robin and the Arkham video games, he is not just a brute force with no discernible tact or intelligence. Bane also acts as a mental foil to The Dark Knight, hence why I thought he was a good contrast to the Joker for the third Nolan film. When you really get down to it, while Bane isn’t the most popular villain, nor is he a favorite of most, he honestly is probably one of the most effective, more so because he already knows that Batman is Bruce Wayne.

Although, while I know his main iconography is often associated with his strength being increased by Venom as well as his luchadore mask, I feel that these are just gimmicks, little quirks to the character that do not define him, at least not significantly. The main drive of the Bane character is his physical equilibrium as well as near mental symmetry compared to Batman, he can battle the Caped Crusader on both ends. These can both be done without the Venom and luchadore mask (which were both absent in The Dark Knight Rises). Besides, the mask in a live-action film would look ridiculous (Batman & Robin being evidence to that), so I was welcome to the very different mask in the film.

The Animated Series

The New Batman Adventures

Anyone who knows me knows my absolute love for Batman: The Animated Series as well as the entirety of the DC Animated Universe (minus Static Shock and the scarcely known Zeta Project). I could spend all day talking about it, but I won’t, the reason I bring it up, is that The Animated Series episode named after the same character, almost gets it right, but kind of fumbled the ball. You’ve got the Venom; you’ve got the mask (which looks ridiculous in this episode), Bane is calculative and smart. So, what went wrong? The ultimate fact (this could be just me, not sure) of the matter is that he seems like more of a caricature of Bane than Bane himself, very exaggerated, over-the-top with a seemingly forced Spanish accent, and really, he isn’t much of a threat, he’s disposed of rather easily, and isn’t portrayed as nearly a force as he can be. What made up for this was his appearance in The New Batman Adventures episode “Over the Edge”, where they got it right, and the returning actor Henry Silva, turned in a more reserved and grim performance befitting him.

In terms of The Dark Knight Rises, without giving spoilers, Nolan gets the ultimate point of the character, and in my opinion, his reimagining for the sake of Nolanverse continuity actually made him a more interesting character overall. Bane in the film is not just Bane in name only. And so I end on my favorite quote from the film, of course by him: “Oh, you think darkness is your ally? But you merely adopted the dark, I was born in it, molded by it.”