Saturday, June 24, 2023

Nintendo Direct: May The Games Be With You


Image credit: https://www.gameinformer.com/2021/09/22/a-september-nintendo-direct-has-been-announced-for-tomorrow


The Nintendo Direct premiered on June 21st, 2023, and with it brought many new games to be released in the future. The Nintendo Direct has always been a fun event, and this one was chock full of interesting and memorable looking games. 

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is releasing The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC. The first part takes place in a rural looking area with a heavy influence on Japanese culture, while the second part takes place in a futuristic area. Both parts look intriguing, but not much is known yet about what all the DLC entails. Further details will be given in the future.

Palia is a free to play game that has a cute and relaxed look to it. The game looks like it’ll be a farming sim, full of quality of life mechanics. It looks fun, and is definitely my cup of tea.  

Persona 5 Tactica is another installment in the Persona series. It has a cute chibi style to the game, and looks to be a spinoff on the popular series. It’s a tactical RPG game where strategy appears to be the main focus. I have always been a fan of the Persona series, and I’m looking forward to the new game. 

The new installment of Detective Pikachu is coming to the Nintendo Switch. I remember playing the first game on the 3DS and I loved it. If Detective Pikachu Returns is anything like the first game, it will be full of funny quips and fun gameplay. I, for one am looking forward to it. 

Mario has always been a big franchise for Nintendo, and this Nintendo Direct showcased not one, but five Mario games. Super Mario RPG is a remake from the classic SNES version. I never personally got to play the game, but I always wanted to. With the Nintendo Switch version coming out, I will definitely be playing it when it releases. They also announced a game starring Princess Peach, and when first seeing it, I wondered if it would be similar to the game on the Nintendo DS. Luigi is also getting the spotlight with Luigi’s Mansion Dark Moon, a remake of the 3DS version. Nintendo also announced wave 5 DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, it has new courses and new playable characters such as Petey Piranha, Wiggler, and Kamek. It looks like it’ll bring more to the already hefty DLC game The DLC can be purchased individually or it can be played with a Nintendo Online Expansion pass for $50 a year. Super Mario Bros. Wonder looks like a surreal game when you touch a wonder flower. Anything can happen, such as the landscape changing, or Mario turning into an elephant. The game looks unique and I may be picking it up when it releases. 

Another game I thought looked good was Dragon Quest Monsters The Dark Prince. You can capture monsters, much like Pokemon, and I am interested in seeing where the game takes us. Dragon Quest has always been a fun game series in my opinion, and I can hardly wait for it to be released. 

I have never played Pikmin, but with the first, second and fourth games releasing I am more than willing to give them all a try. The game looks cute, and precious. The Pikmin are these cute plant like creatures, and in the fourth game you are allowed to play at night. This seems like a good feature to add to the game, but it comes with a dangerous cost. There are strong enemies that will try to thwart your plans. Their eyes become red, and they seem to be in a frenzied mode that only the glow Pikmin can defeat. The glow Pikmin only appear at night, which seems to be an interesting way to use the Pikmin in a different way. 

Star Ocean The Second Story R looks like it’ll feature a ton of content. You can choose between Claude or Rena to play through the main story. The battles take place in real time, and the art style looks stunning. This fantasy RPG looks promising. I will be waiting with bated breath for the game to release.

Warioware has a new game coming, and I nearly squealed when I saw it showcased on the Nintendo Direct. I am a huge fan of the Warioware games. I played the GBA Warioware when I was a kid, and I fell in love with the simple story telling and the vast amount of micro games it had to offer. In this game, you will use the joycons to play the game. It looks like moving your entire body will be necessary. From shaking your entire body to moving your arms up and down, there will be over 200 micro games to enjoy. I am already looking forward to playing this new installment. 

The Nintendo Direct this month was amazing. As an avid gamer, I am looking forward to the games I mentioned above. From the Pokemon DLC to Warioware, there are many games to keep people occupied for a long time. If Pokemon isn’t your thing, maybe the Mario games will keep you entertained. The amazing thing about gaming is there are so many different genres and games keep your mind agile for years to come. I am and will always be a gamer whom enjoys playing any game that strikes my fancy.

Monday, June 21, 2021

Welcome to The Flip Side

A Samsung Galaxy Z Flip Review

When my husband first showed me a video of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, my eyes went wide in surprise. I was immediately captivated. I had to know more about this phone. I began to watch unboxing videos and reviews on it, anything to see the phone again. The phone itself looked innovative and like something I had never seen before, except for maybe those old Nokia flip phones. This was something better though. 

I decided to do more extensive research. I went to BestBuy with my husband later that month to see the phone for myself. Upon entering the store, I saw that the phone in desire was locked down so I couldn’t flip it open and close it like the clamshell was designed for. I figured it was for security purposes, and to not mess up the phone. Although Samsung says it can be flipped open and closed 200,000 times. 

I was spellbound. This phone was cutting edge, new, and something I had never thought possible. Yes ladies and gentlemen it is a smart phone that also functions as a flip phone. However, when I saw the price tag, I nearly fainted. It cost $1500. That was way more than I could ever afford. I decided to possibly do installments. I talked to a worker at BestBuy and they said that even if I had a GoPhone plan, I could do the installments granted my credit was good. I went into the purchase thinking I would only be paying $20 a month give or take. However, when a different worker finally found my account, he told me to my dismay that GoPhone plans cannot have installments, as there is no contract with them. I hung my head and left the store, defeated. 

It took me a while to finally go to BestBuy’s website and see how much it would cost for one that was open box. I looked, and saw that an open box was only $600. I was still hesitant at first though, and waited until March 25th to finally make the purchase. It took a lot of convincing from my husband, but I finally decided to buy the phone of my dreams. It ended up costing about $300 more though because I had waited so long. It was still cheaper than the initial $1500, but it was still an expensive purchase. 

The purchase said the phone would require a signature from someone 18 and older when the delivery came on Thursday, because it was a high volume item. I went around my household telling my roommates I was expecting an expensive item coming in the mail and that if someone could sign for it if I was still at work, then that would be perfect. However, when that Thursday finally arrived, it came when I was home, and they didn’t ask for a signature. It was strange, but maybe it had to do with COVID? 

I was handed the package from my roommate, and my roommate’s friend said, “Open it! Open it!” I had told them that it was this really cool smart flip phone and now she was curious. I went ahead and opened it, and was surprised at how new the phone looked. I was expecting an open box phone to look a bit more worn. However, this was not the case, it looked immaculate, and brand new. I opened up the phone’s clamshell hinge, and gasped. It folded out into a smart phone. I could literally not tell the difference between this phone that had just been folded up, and my roommate’s phone that was a standard iPhone. I looked and examined the phone, but the crease in the middle where the phone folded up was non-existent when the phone was in use. I charged the phone, and in the meanwhile had it transfer all my files from my old phone to this new one. 

There are so many neat features about this phone, but the one that sticks out in my mind the most is the little display notification cover screen on the front of the phone. If you press the power button twice it will open up a little camera. I was in awe and my friends all were amazed. You can take a picture this way with the phone closed by pressing either the volume up or down button while in this mode. I took many pictures this way. This phone is revolutionary, and something that I hope all phones become in the future. My favorite thing about this phone is the convenience. It can fit in any of my pant pockets perfectly, while still functioning as a big smart phone. Its height is 6.59” but closed its height is 3.44". The problem with my old phone is that it was beginning to ruin my pant pockets because it was so big. With this phone, I can literally just put it in my pocket and go about my day. I had to wear a belt with a holder for my phone, because otherwise it wouldn’t fit in my pockets.  I love that feature. It makes the phone 100% worth buying. 

One downside to the phone, however, is that it is a tad bit slippery and it isn’t water resistant. Now while that may deter some people from buying this phone I highly recommend buying a case off of Amazon. I bought a clear plastic cheap case off Amazon and put stickers of my favorite anime, Fairy Tail on it, and it works better than if it didn’t have a case. With the case the slippery issue is no longer a problem. It fits well in my hands without any occasional slips. I was afraid of it falling out of my hands without the case but with the case it has no issues. 

I recently bought this phone grip strip at Walmart for the phone. It’s essentially like a phone stand or a popsocket. While the phone can sit up vertically, it’s hard to watch videos. I went ahead and bought this stand for $2.50 not sure what to expect but it has a lot of neat features! For example, it has a function where you press into the grip strip and it clicks into a position. This is where watching videos works well. You can adjust the length of it so it can be positioned horizontally, making watching videos a cinch. This phone grip strip also says that it can be charged wirelessly without having any issues. This actually is true! I was surprised because the grip strip looks a little clunky. However, it charges with this grip strip perfectly. It isn’t like the popsockets that have trouble charging. One last thing that it claims to do is function in an air vent like a car vent mount. I can say with confidence that this is one of the best car vent mounts I’ve ever had. Every car vent mount I’ve tried in the past has at some point failed. While on my twenty-minute drive home, the phone held in place the entire time. I was thoroughly impressed. This phone grip strip is amazing. 

I highly recommend buying this phone to anyone who loves smart phones but maybe wants a little bit of diversity to their phone, and to anyone who suffers from having pockets that are too small. I give the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip a 9/10 because without a case it is too slippery and it could fall loose from your hand, causing an accident. 







All photos were taken by me.

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Be Our Guest


Source: http://www.regmovies.com/

A Beauty and The Beast Movie Review

Beauty and The Beast is a remake of the 1991 animated film. It’s a co-production between Walt Disney Pictures and Mandeville Films. The movie was released March 17, 2017. It takes a more detailed and wittier take on the 1991 animated film. Emma Watson plays Belle, who in my opinion was a perfect role for her. Emma Watson famously known as Hermione Granger in Harry Potter takes Belle’s character and makes her spirited. For example, she talks back to the beast, refusing to be a prisoner and demands to be treated as a human being. Emma Watson fit Belle perfectly. She already had the shy but fiery personality down in Harry Potter, but since then became more adult. Watching this movie was a delight. It is a musical, but don’t let that deter you from watching the film if musicals aren’t your forte. This movie truly shows off Walt Disney’s Beauty and The Beast.

Characters

The characters of: Gaston, LeFou, the Beast, Maurice and the beast’s enchanted servants were embodied by the actors flawlessly.

Gaston, is played by, Luke Evans, a physically endowed man. He is as self-centered in the movie as he was in the 1991 film. I thought he did a good job embodying Gaston. He played his role perfectly, going from a lovesick man to a crazed one wanting to kill the beast. His transformation from loving and wanting Belle to wanting only revenge made a good progression in the movie. His mannerisms were reminiscent of the Gaston in the 1991 film. He did a great job portraying Gaston and being the bad guy.

LeFou, is played by, Josh Gad. He plays a whimsical and often times silly character. He is Gaston’s right hand man and does anything he is asked by him. I thought his appearance compared to the 1991 film matched. He was a portly and silly looking character, and in this remake he looked similar. LeFou was a comic relief character, who I enjoyed because of his witty banter.


The Beast, is played by, Dan Stevens. I thought he was intimidating and did a good job of inspiring unease in the audience and me. He personally unnerved me in the beginning, but he began to grow on me as soon as he became close to Belle. He might have been scary looking, but appearances are not always as they seem. Just like in the 1991 film, the beast was truly a kind and understanding character. His transformation at the end from the beast to man was symbolic of him losing his animalistic side and of him embracing his human side. He was a strong character in the film and one that was very likable.

Maurice, is played by, Kevin Kline. He plays Belle’s father and he did a good job of portraying the character. He looks like the cartoon version of Maurice and has the same mannerisms. He remained true to his character to the very end, going from slightly odd to mad in the eyes of the village. He rambled on about a beast in an enchanted castle and this caused him to appear mad. He played Maurice well.

The Beast’s servants: Lumiére, Maestro Cadenza, Cogsworth, Mrs.Potts, Madame de Garderobe, Plumette, and Chip were colorful characters. Lumiére, candelabra, was always bantering with Cogsworth, a clock, and this made for a very entertaining movie. Maestro Cadenza, a harpsichord, played a beautiful song during the scene, “Be Our Guest.” Mrs. Potts and Chip a teapot and teacup were just as adorable to watch as the original 1991 film. Plumette, a feather duster was flirty and funny to watch whenever she and Lumiére were in the same room together. Madame Garderobe was interesting to watch as she dressed Belle by cladding her in a big dress and a white powder wig. The Beast’s servants were entertaining to watch and made the movie even more interesting.

Conclusion

Beauty and The Beast is a great movie and one worth watching. It takes the old 1991 film and makes it come to life using actors and actresses. However, the final verdict is in your hands. Be my guest and watch the film to finalize your opinion.


Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Sing Your Heart Out!

A Sing Movie Review 




Credit: https://teaser-trailer.com/movie/sing/


Sing was released on DVD March 21, 2017 after it played in theaters on December 21, 2016. It was produced by Illumination Entertainment, was directed and written by Garth Jennings and co-directed by Christophe Lourdelet. The film had a gross of $590 worldwide. It’s a cute animated film with a plot based straight out of American Idol. Much like Zootopia, this film deals with anthropomorphic animals. It may have a simple plot, but Sing is a film worth watching. There are a lot of heart felt moments and drama filled scenes in the film. At one point for example, Johnny’s father goes to jail and his father tells him, “How did I end up with a son like you?” Johnny is a gorilla with a voice like an angel. However, his father is always making Johnny do criminal acts with him and his gang. Johnny never wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps, and when the singing contest comes up, he decides he’s had enough of the criminal life. Sing is filled with several other fleshed out characters with interesting home lives and that’s what made the movie relatable to me. Sing is a film intended for children, but adults will appreciate the moments in the film that are deep and leave a hidden message.

Characters 

Buster Moon- Buster Moon is a koala bear who owns the theater where the animal contestants perform. He became interested in the theater after his father took him to a music show. His dream is to have a theater worth talking about. When his theater begins to sink, he talks to his friend, Eddie Noodleman, a sheep, about holding a singing contest.

Rosita- Rosita is an underappreciated housewife with twenty-five children. She is a pig who loves to sing, but has never had a chance to show the world her voice. When she sees the flyer for the singing contest, she jumps at the chance to show the world her talent.

Mike- Mike is a white street musician mouse who is cocky and gets by tips from people on the street. He sees the flyer for the singing contest and is thrilled because of the amount of prize money for winning. The winning contestant will receive $100,000. He loves to perform but he wants the money as well.

Johnny- Johnny is a gorilla from a rough background. His father has a gang and they make Johnny participate in their heists. He loves to sing and has never wanted to be with his father’s gang. When he sees the flyer for the singing contest, he makes an effort to show up. He ends up being a contestant for the contest, but he is constantly going back and forth between the theater and his father’s desire for him to be part of his gang.

Ash- Ash is a porcupine who is in a band with her boyfriend, Lance. When Ash is selected to be a contestant, she accepts but loses her boyfriend. He is jealous that she was chosen and he starts seeing another porcupine. Heart broken, Ash throws him out of the house. She then devotes her time to the theater.

Meena- Meena is a shy elephant, who has an outstanding voice. She goes to the theater and attempts to sing, but she is so nervous that she can’t even perform. She ends up going back home, disappointed. The next day, she asks Buster Moon for another shot at performing, but she ends up being a stagehand at the theater. Later, she makes her debut and ends up impressing everyone.

Entertainment Value

Sing is highly entertaining and fun to watch. It doesn’t bring anything new to the movie genre, but it is still a good film. The characters are memorable and their backgrounds make them likable. Johnny was my favorite character. It felt like his character was fleshed out the most. He came from a hard background, and perhaps that is why I cared so much for him. While the other characters home lives were interesting, Johnny’s character was the most relatable.

There is a scene in the movie that is one of my favorites. It is the scene with Rosita. She is in a grocery store and as she walks down the aisles, a song suddenly blares in the store. Her whole demeanor changes from worn out and tired to joyful and full of passion. She begins throwing items in the grocery cart quicker and then begins to dance. She does an amazing performance in the grocery store and even the security guard announces to the store, “To the lady in aisle six that was awesome!”

The rest of the movie is filled with cute moments like the one with Rosita in the grocery store. If you’re a fan of animated films, this one will not disappoint.

Conclusion

Sing might have an ordinary story, but the experience you have with it is anything but ordinary. It will make you smile, laugh, cry and hope the best for the characters. It is a great film and I recommend it to anyone who loves animated films with talking animals and catchy songs. The singing in the film wasn’t over done. It felt necessary when someone sang and the dialogue in the film was witty and well thought out. I loved this movie, but the final verdict is yours to decide.

Saturday, November 12, 2016

Happiness Comes in The Form of Trolls


Trolls Review




The Trolls movie was released on November 4, 2016 and DreamWorksAnimation produced the film. The film conveys a strong message about how anyone can be happy. It only takes a little will power and positivity to achieve this. The premise of the movie is intriguing. In a bleak and foreboding village live the Bergens, creatures that feel happy only after eating a troll. These creatures hold an annual festival to celebrate eating the trolls. The trolls are happy little creatures that sing and hug every hour. They are the epitome of happiness. Trolls is a film that takes an abstract idea, happiness, and gives it a form and story. It is a film for people of all ages. The cute trolls will keep children enticed, but the story will also keep adults on the edge of their seats.

Storyline

The storyline of Trolls is interesting, taking cute and overly happy trolls and throwing them into a dark situation. The trolls are peace loving and positive creatures that love singing as much as hugging. Other than their happy go lucky attitude though, these trolls have no means of protecting themselves. They have parties frequently and do not care if they cause an uproar. The only troll who is concerned is Branch, a paranoid troll, who has a secret base filled with provisions for ten years and has traps galore. He remembers the time when the Bergens almost caught the trolls and because of this he is extra vigilant. Poppy, the princess of the trolls, loves throwing parties and is known for often causing loud over the top parties. Her utter lack of concern causes a Bergen to discover the trolls. The Bergen captures several trolls, but the majority of them get away. However, Poppy is an optimistic troll and decides to save her friends on her own. She seeks Branch for help, but he is against the idea and does not help her. Later, he realizes Poppy might need help after all and runs after her. The rest of the storyline in Trolls is comedic and clever. There were moments in the film when I found myself laughing because of what a character said or did. The movie Trolls is truly a film for all ages.

Meaning

The meaning in Trolls was a simple one, but it’s a truth we often forget. The meaning of Trolls is that happiness is not something we have to try to achieve, but rather it is a fleeting feeling that we can achieve with the right mindset. For example, in the movie, the troll, Bridget, a scullery maid is in love with the king of the Bergens. However, she like all the other trolls, thinks happiness is only achieved by eating a troll. The trolls help Bridget and get her a date with Gristle, the king and from that point on she feels an emotion unlike any she’s felt before. The emotion she feels is happiness. Bridget denies feeling the emotion, but she later realizes that happiness is the only plausible explanation for the inexplicable emotion she feels. King Gristle realizes this too and comes to the conclusion that happiness is not found by eating a troll, but rather it is found within us.

Conclusion

Trolls is a film for everyone. It has cute characters, humor, some singing and interesting characters. I loved the film and I recommend it people who like Dreams Works films. It has a similar feel to it as other Dreams Works films such as Shrek. The singing was not over done in the film, and while at first glance one would expect a musical, this film had only a few musical numbers. The designs of the characters were colorful and cute for the trolls and bleak and ominous for the Bergens. However, the designs of each character meshed well and contributed positively to the film. The meaning of the film resonated strongly with me and for that reason I am giving this film 5 out of 5 stars.



Saturday, September 3, 2016

Who Let the Pets Out?

A Secret Life of Pets Review


Source: blog.universalorlando.com


The Secret Life of Pets was released on July 8, 2016. It produced a revenue of $104,352,905 in the United States on its opening weekend. The movie is charming, but falls a little flat on the story. The story is not very complex and I felt it could have had more depth to it. Overall though, the movie is entertaining and worth the hour and a half.



The Pros

Humor
Voice Actors

The Cons

Story
Dislikable Main Character


Humor

The humor in this movie was what made me ultimately enjoy the entire experience. Have you ever wondered what your pets do when you’re not around? In this movie, the pets go wild and take advantage of their owners’ absence. For example, the pets were seen in the beginning of the movie doing things that they could not do if their owners were there. Chloe, for example, is shown throwing her food bowl to the side and looking inside the fridge for a different food. She sees a plate of turkey in the fridge and tries to resist eating it. The scene shows her opening and closing the fridge, before she finally gives into temptation and eats the turkey. After she is through eating the turkey she sees a cake and immediately eats it. For example, my cat does yoga poses when she thinks I am not looking. She imitates the famous yoga pose, Downward-Dog.

In the movie, Buddy is seen using a hand mixer to massage his back and stomach. Sweet Pea turns on a fan to propel herself into the air and fly towards a TV with airplanes playing on it. A Poodle living in the apartment complex would go from listening to classical music to listening to heavy metal. His owner was also never home and he would use his house as a place to throw parties. The movie does little things to tie loose ends. For example, at the end of the movie, the Poodle’s owner comes in and says, “I see you’ve been a good boy.” A pig falls from the chandelier hanging and the Poodle smiles, looking nervous. The movie’s humor is similar to this throughout the entire movie and I found myself laughing a lot. I recommend this movie if you’re a fan of cartoons and love animals being anthropomorphized.

Voice Actors

The voice actors in this movie were truly terrific. I recognized their voices from other TV shows and movies. Kevin Hart plays Snowball, the leader of The Flushed Pets, a group of former domesticated animals. His role as Snowball, a white rabbit, was both serious and funny. He usually plays the goofy comic relief character in many movies such as Ride Along and Central Intelligence. In The Secret Life of Pets his role is the same, even though he is the antagonist of the film. Jenny Slate plays Gidget, a white Pomeranian, who is in love with our protagonist, Max. She is also known for her role in Zootopia as Bellwether, a shy and reserved secretary for Mayor Lionheart. In The Secret Life of Pets she plays a character who is shy, but who opens up and becomes a strong character. Albert Brooks plays Tiberius, a red-tailed hawk, who wants to eat everything and anything, but in the end helps our heroes. He is known for his role in Finding Nemo as Marlin, the overprotective father of Nemo. In The Secret Life of Pets he does a good job of being tough and intimidating, a role opposite of Marlin. Eric Stonestreet plays Duke, a Newfoundland dog, that tries to take over our hero Max’s life. He plays Cameron Tucker in Modern Family, a gay man who makes everyone laugh. In The Secret Life of Pets he plays the role of an outsider. Max does not like him at all and tries to kick him out of his life. Duke is a dog that has been rescued from the pound and wants to fit in. Throughout the movie, Max and Duke become closer and eventually become friends. The Secret Life of Pets was a good movie, because the voice actors were phenomenal and believable.

Story

While The Secret Life of Pets had its strong points, it also had its weak points. The story for example seemed to be weak and fall flat. It went from the pets wanting to have freedom and be away from their owners to realizing they actually needed them. While this shows growth in the movie, it leaves something to be desired. The story seemed too simple and almost childish. The movie is intended for children, but most cartoons have deeper plots. For example, Inside Out, a movie produced by Pixar, had a deeper storyline than expected. The movie looked like it would just be about a child’s emotions and ultimately be a cute and simple. However, that is not what the movie portrayed. The movie portrayed a darker side. The movie goes through turmoil and strife and the meaning is deeply rooted. Everyone must grow up, and the film explores the idea that childhood eventually must fade and bring forth adulthood. Inside Out was cute, but it also explored themes that not many cartoons have explored. The Secret Life of Pets is good for a laugh, but in the end the meaning is a little weak.

Dislikable Main Character

The main character in The Secret Life of Pets was unlikable. For example, the story’s main protagonist, Max, a terrier seemed to be in his own world. He lived his life dependent on his owner, Katie. Max seemed a little stuck up in the beginning of the movie. He was hard to like, because he seemed to not care for anyone but himself and Katie. Even when his friends came over to visit him, he still seemed indifferent. By the end of the film, he was more likable, but I still preferred Snowball over him. His character did not seem to be fleshed out as much as some of the other characters. Snowball for instance had a backstory. He became the leader of The Flushed Pets, because his owner had gotten tired of him. His owner was a magician and used him in his tricks. When rabbit tricks became tired and overused though, his owner tossed him to the side. I could understand how Snowball acted the way he did in the movie. Even Duke, a bossy and pushy dog was more likable than Max. Duke had a backstory as well. He had an older owner, who loved him. They did everything together, but mostly they took naps. The backstory was cute and the movie went as far as tying the past to the present. Max ended up taking Duke to his former owner’s house, only to find that his owner was dead. I enjoyed the other characters, they seemed to be more developed than Max. Max could have had a backstory, and maybe he would have been more likable.

Conclusion

I am giving this movie a 3 out of 5 rating for the humor and the voice actors. The humor in this movie was silly, but meshed well with the story and characters. The story and dislikable main character knocked the rating down from a 5 to a 3, because these were things that should have been more developed. The movie was good overall, and I would want to see it again