There are a number of problems with this movie, but the bottom line is that it tried to do too much with too little. The base story is quite good, but the money just wasn't there to do the story justice. The non-existent budget really killed this movie. Stuart Gordon (the writer/director) has writing credit on 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids', which was a box office smash. However, that movie had some serious cash backing from Disney. Honestly, this is a good example of when to not make a movie. Had he waited a few more years, technology would have made it cheaper to do many of the effects. (not to mention he could have found a company with money.)
Reviews
4 Reviews
Freelancer
(2003 Video Game)
Solid performance from this title...
15 January 2005
While there certainly are aspects that can be improved on in Freelancer, that can be said about any game.
First off, it should be noted, Freelancer does not support a joystick even though you are flying a spaceship. All movements are supported through keyboard and mouse. While this can take a little getting used to, you are free to remap your controls to suit your style. I feel the use of mouse controls allows for greater accuracy, although some people may disagree. The game does give you the choice of flying via 3rd person view or 1st person view. I find 1st person view to be more enjoyable, and you'll find that the sounds from the ship are more distinct in this view.
One of the mistakes I think some people make is trying to 'rush' through the story in the game. I believe that the faster you try and rush the story, the less satisfying it will be. This game is designed to be peeled open like the layers of an onion. It's meant to be explored and enjoyed. Think of it like a cross between a flight simulator and a combat flight simulator. The extent of combat you face can often be dictated by your choices. Take time to explore.
Although there is no 'skill' setting, you can impact the difficulty by the choices you make. Some lasers fire at a fast speed, but do low damage, good for a player that isn't that good a shot since they can fire more often without running out of energy. Alternately, you can choose a low speed/high damage laser, but if you miss too many shots you'll find your batteries drained before your enemy has been killed.
You can also choose to play as an 'enemy of the state' by befriending outlaws and attacking law enforcement. Since the major routes are primarily controlled by legitimate agencies, a life of crime will mean more fights with the law and a greater need to find 'back routes' between locations.
Missiles are also an option in your load-outs, but this too will impact the game's pace. If you choose to use missiles, the game will progress slower because you will be spending money to restock them after a fight. If you want a 'faster' story progression, choose a load-out that sticks to energy weapons.
Overall I found the graphics to be stunning, and considering that this game was released in 2003, CPUs and video cards will render beautifully even at higher settings.
They certainly didn't skimp on voice talent, as there are many well known actors that do voice work in the game. Here's a short list of some you may recognize:
Christopher Lee - Lord of the Rings (Saruman) | John Rhys-Davies Lord of the Rings (Gimli) | George Takei - Star Trek (Sulu) | Kenneth Mars - Malcolm in the Middle (Otto Mannkusser) | Xander Berkeley - '24' (George Mason) | Maurice LaMarche - Futurama (Morbo/Lt. Kif/Kroker) | Tony Jay - Reboot (Megabyte) | Charles Shaughnessy - The Nanny (Maxwell Sheffield) | Michael T. Weiss - The Pretender (Jarod)
There are plenty of other voice talent actors that you may recognize from other popular games as well.
One aspect of the game that lends itself to flexibility is that the story will 'wait' for as long as you want it to. Want to do more exploring? Just avoid triggering the next part of the story. There is no time limit when the game tells you that you need to meet a character, so take your time.
Is there a downside? Sure. I found that some aspects of the game can become repetitious, especially the choices of 'job' missions. However, the jobs are not really meant to be the 'meat' of the game, they are mainly a method to make you money. I would have liked to see more done to include escort missions and such, but I can imagine this would have required more coding.
In the end it's certainly good value for the money if you like a game that you can take your time to explore.
First off, it should be noted, Freelancer does not support a joystick even though you are flying a spaceship. All movements are supported through keyboard and mouse. While this can take a little getting used to, you are free to remap your controls to suit your style. I feel the use of mouse controls allows for greater accuracy, although some people may disagree. The game does give you the choice of flying via 3rd person view or 1st person view. I find 1st person view to be more enjoyable, and you'll find that the sounds from the ship are more distinct in this view.
One of the mistakes I think some people make is trying to 'rush' through the story in the game. I believe that the faster you try and rush the story, the less satisfying it will be. This game is designed to be peeled open like the layers of an onion. It's meant to be explored and enjoyed. Think of it like a cross between a flight simulator and a combat flight simulator. The extent of combat you face can often be dictated by your choices. Take time to explore.
Although there is no 'skill' setting, you can impact the difficulty by the choices you make. Some lasers fire at a fast speed, but do low damage, good for a player that isn't that good a shot since they can fire more often without running out of energy. Alternately, you can choose a low speed/high damage laser, but if you miss too many shots you'll find your batteries drained before your enemy has been killed.
You can also choose to play as an 'enemy of the state' by befriending outlaws and attacking law enforcement. Since the major routes are primarily controlled by legitimate agencies, a life of crime will mean more fights with the law and a greater need to find 'back routes' between locations.
Missiles are also an option in your load-outs, but this too will impact the game's pace. If you choose to use missiles, the game will progress slower because you will be spending money to restock them after a fight. If you want a 'faster' story progression, choose a load-out that sticks to energy weapons.
Overall I found the graphics to be stunning, and considering that this game was released in 2003, CPUs and video cards will render beautifully even at higher settings.
They certainly didn't skimp on voice talent, as there are many well known actors that do voice work in the game. Here's a short list of some you may recognize:
Christopher Lee - Lord of the Rings (Saruman) | John Rhys-Davies Lord of the Rings (Gimli) | George Takei - Star Trek (Sulu) | Kenneth Mars - Malcolm in the Middle (Otto Mannkusser) | Xander Berkeley - '24' (George Mason) | Maurice LaMarche - Futurama (Morbo/Lt. Kif/Kroker) | Tony Jay - Reboot (Megabyte) | Charles Shaughnessy - The Nanny (Maxwell Sheffield) | Michael T. Weiss - The Pretender (Jarod)
There are plenty of other voice talent actors that you may recognize from other popular games as well.
One aspect of the game that lends itself to flexibility is that the story will 'wait' for as long as you want it to. Want to do more exploring? Just avoid triggering the next part of the story. There is no time limit when the game tells you that you need to meet a character, so take your time.
Is there a downside? Sure. I found that some aspects of the game can become repetitious, especially the choices of 'job' missions. However, the jobs are not really meant to be the 'meat' of the game, they are mainly a method to make you money. I would have liked to see more done to include escort missions and such, but I can imagine this would have required more coding.
In the end it's certainly good value for the money if you like a game that you can take your time to explore.
Xanadu
(1980)
Don't judge a book by its cover...
10 June 2001
As you may have noticed (if you are reading comments) there are two distinct kinds of reviews here. Those who loved it, and those who hated it. Within that group you probably have two groups of people. Those who 'lived' in the '80s, and those who didn't.
If you will be judging this movie by the standards of today, then don't bother watching it. It won't measure up, I guarantee it.
Roller Skates, record albums (yuno, those 12" 'black things' that play on a turntable) "Farrah Fawcett" style hair and just about every fashion and dance style of the time are in this movie. Heck, in the animation sequence, when Olivia turns into a bird, she was STILL wearing leg-warmers.
This movie was likely meant to play more like a rock opera than a movie. The plot is thin and the acting so-so. However it is the MUSIC that makes this movie. If you saw "Grease", did you watch it for the 'acting'? Of course not. You 'watched' it for the music. This movie is no different.
If you hate 80's style music however, don't watch the movie.
Xanadu is a movie 'out of time'. Like a photograph that captures the moment, this movie captures the essence of a period in time. This movie typifies much of what the 'scene' was like in the early 80's.
Much like the remake of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club band, this is a classic in it's OWN TIME, and should be seen as such.
If you will be judging this movie by the standards of today, then don't bother watching it. It won't measure up, I guarantee it.
Roller Skates, record albums (yuno, those 12" 'black things' that play on a turntable) "Farrah Fawcett" style hair and just about every fashion and dance style of the time are in this movie. Heck, in the animation sequence, when Olivia turns into a bird, she was STILL wearing leg-warmers.
This movie was likely meant to play more like a rock opera than a movie. The plot is thin and the acting so-so. However it is the MUSIC that makes this movie. If you saw "Grease", did you watch it for the 'acting'? Of course not. You 'watched' it for the music. This movie is no different.
If you hate 80's style music however, don't watch the movie.
Xanadu is a movie 'out of time'. Like a photograph that captures the moment, this movie captures the essence of a period in time. This movie typifies much of what the 'scene' was like in the early 80's.
Much like the remake of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club band, this is a classic in it's OWN TIME, and should be seen as such.
Water Child
(1995)
A sad but touching story...
29 July 2000
I just saw this film on CBC in Canada, and was pleasantly surprised at the depth and emotion that it was able to put across. This movie was made originally in French, and was subtitled in English.
The film is a story about a 20 year old male (Emile) who has the mental capacity of a 5 year old. He is involved in a plane crash that strands him along with a 12 year old girl (Cendrine)on a island off the Bahamas for 49 days. What should be noted is that Emile always speaks about himself in the third person, which can be confusing if you don't catch onto this early on.
This movie starts after they have rescued, and is told in a retrospective, mainly from the detailed diary of the 12 year old girl as initially read by Emile's father.
What is being told here is not the aspects of being stranded on the island, but instead the relationship between these two people. Cendrine, on the cusp of puberty, has to change from seeing Emile as a 'retard' if she wishes to live with him on this island. Emile on the other hand, doesn't really see or reciprocate what Cendrine is feeling, since he doesn't have the capacity.
Be forewarned, overall this is a sad movie. There is a bit of levity at one point, but overall there isn't much happiness in this film. I don't believe that every film has to have a happy ending, and since the movie starts with both main characters in the hospital, you get the picture things aren't going well.
I found the musical score quite compelling, and it did well to draw you deeper into this movie. It's a great movie to watch in a dark and quiet environment.
Personally I would have preferred if the retrospective of the 2 of them on the island wasn't cut up as much by switching back to what the father is thinking/doing, but overall that was a minor issue for me.
This movie was well acted and touching, and well worth watching.
The film is a story about a 20 year old male (Emile) who has the mental capacity of a 5 year old. He is involved in a plane crash that strands him along with a 12 year old girl (Cendrine)on a island off the Bahamas for 49 days. What should be noted is that Emile always speaks about himself in the third person, which can be confusing if you don't catch onto this early on.
This movie starts after they have rescued, and is told in a retrospective, mainly from the detailed diary of the 12 year old girl as initially read by Emile's father.
What is being told here is not the aspects of being stranded on the island, but instead the relationship between these two people. Cendrine, on the cusp of puberty, has to change from seeing Emile as a 'retard' if she wishes to live with him on this island. Emile on the other hand, doesn't really see or reciprocate what Cendrine is feeling, since he doesn't have the capacity.
Be forewarned, overall this is a sad movie. There is a bit of levity at one point, but overall there isn't much happiness in this film. I don't believe that every film has to have a happy ending, and since the movie starts with both main characters in the hospital, you get the picture things aren't going well.
I found the musical score quite compelling, and it did well to draw you deeper into this movie. It's a great movie to watch in a dark and quiet environment.
Personally I would have preferred if the retrospective of the 2 of them on the island wasn't cut up as much by switching back to what the father is thinking/doing, but overall that was a minor issue for me.
This movie was well acted and touching, and well worth watching.
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