My Top 15 Star Trek Deep Space Nine Episodes

As Star Trek is 50 this year, I feel its my turn to tackle the task of favourite episodes of the franchise. And as you can tell I'm starting with my personal favourite incarnation of the series. Deep Space Nine ran between 1992 and 1999, catching onto the tail end of TNG and being prominent throughout Voyager's first 5 seasons. DS9 covered a variety of things we see in our world today. War,  a refugee crisis, the effects of war, economy, racism, segregation and the continuing battle between good and evil. The show had stellar casting and for me, the stand out's are honestly a tie between Avery Brooks as Captain Benjamin Sisko and Marc Alaimo as Gul Dukat.  Like many people cannot find anything wrong with Empire Strikes Back, I'm the same with Deep Space Nine. Sure there are some bad episodes but in this series, the good episodes out way the bad. The only thing I wish the series had was at least one episode that dealt with the Borg. Not just cameo's or passing mentions. As the franchise of Star Trek is 50 years old, I wish to take on the task of my personal favourite episodes of Deep Space Nine. You are free to disagree with me and with the introduction out of the way, here are my top 15 personal favourite episodes of the series.

15. Trials and Tribble-ations

Right now I'm sensing pitchforks and fires coming at me. Trials and Tribble-ations ran concurrently with Star Trek's 30th anniversary. The Defiant takes a human, Barry Waddle, who was on Cardassia when the Klingons invaded, back to the Federation. Also along for the ride is also the Orb of Time. An incident involving the orb sends the Defiant back to the 23rd Century and into the path of Kirks Enterprise during the events of "The Trouble with Tribbles." Turns out that Barry Waddle is actually Arne Darvin, a Klingon surgically altered to be human and was on Space Station K-7 during the original series episode and goes back to get revenge on Kirk and the DS9 crew go to save the legendary Captain. This episode coincided with Star Trek's 30th Anniversary which was incredibly good and the episode is in my opinion superior to Voyager's episode that coincided with the anniversary, "Flashback" (though I do enjoy Flashback). Trials is a great episode and slightly amusing seeing the DS9 crew in the original uniforms and gadgets. Bashir's and Sisko's reaction being the funnier examples. Another stand out moment is the interaction between Sisko and Kirk. Using superimposing technology, the special effects crew had the cast inserted into "Troubles" seamlessly, almost being part of the all together. Though the short conversation between the two and from the end of "Mirror Mirror" it's great for the two Captains to meet on the small screen.

14. Shattered Mirror

Part of a five episode arch in seasons 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7 set in the mirror universe. Shattered Mirror is the third episode in this arch where after the events of "Mirror Mirror", Spock followed Kirks advice and revolutionised the Terran Empire. Yet his revolution ended up dooming the Empire and it was unprepared for a Klingon/Cardassian Alliance and the took over and conquered the majority of the Alpha and Beta Quadrant's. Inside all of this, a rebellion was born and took over Terok Nor, after our Sisko help the Rebellion in a season 3 episode. The mirror universe version of Captain Sisko's deceased wife, Jennifer, forces Sisko back to the mirror universe to help them defend the station by helping build their own version of the USS Defiant with an Alliance fleet heading their way to take the station back. And the person leading the fleet is Regent Worf. This episode is great. Some really well written moments with Avery Brooks and Felecia M. Bell and Michael Dorn as a almost crazy Worf is great as well. Seeing all the actors perform as their over exaggerated mirror universe counterparts is always a joy to see for me. The thing that makes this episode stand out is the action. The battle between the Defiant and the Regent's ship is great and when we follow the Defiant flying around the ship and damaging it is such a joy to watch. 

13. To The Death

"To The Death" opens as the Defiant returning to the station and see's a upper pylon completely destroyed from an attack from rogue Jem Hadar. In pursuit of the rogues, the Defiant crew form an uneasy alliance with the Dominion as the work to stop the plans of the rogue Jem Hadar who control an Iconian Gateway. In Hollywood, one of the classic trends when films are set during the cold war are the uneasy alliance's forged between America and Russia. "To The Death" is another example of that though between Starfleet and the Dominion. There's clear distrust between the two parties and death threats thrown at both sides. Its great seeing the conflict between the groups during this period dubbed "The Dominion Cold War". For an episode of Star Trek, it's also a surprisingly violent episode. Granted that they use a large amount of bladed weapons, but a neck snap and vaporising Weyoun. Slightly excessive.

12. The Jem Hadar 

The Jem'Hadar finished off season 2 of DS9. What the series did well is a season didn't end with your typical cliffhanger ending. They episode ended naturally then it would start up a plot point that they followed up on the following season. In "The Jem'Hadar", during a trip to the Gamma Quadrant, Sisko, Quark and a Vorta named Eris are captured by the Jem'Hadar, soldiers of the Dominon. They say that the Dominion will no long stand by and let Alpha Quadrant ships enter the Gamma Quadrant via the wormhole. In response, Starfleet sends three of DS9's runabouts and the Galaxy-Class USS Odyssey to rescue the Commander. However, all four ships are attacked by the Jem'Hadar and while escaping with the rescued Commander and Quark, the Jem'Hadar perform a kamikaze run and destroys the Odyssey. Eris leaves the station revealing herself as a member of the Dominion. This episode is a great introduction to the Dominion. Throughout season 2, they had been alluded to and built up as a sustainable threat. Then you have this episode and this episode actually debuted a few weeks after the Next Generation finale, All Good Things, meaning in destroying a Galaxy-Class starship, the Jem'Hadar had enough firepower to destroy the Enterprise if they wanted. Yet I honestly think the way it went out in "Generations" was the better options.

11. Sanctuary

An alien race comes through the wormhole called the Skrreeans, searching for their fabled homeward Kentanna. Upon finding the planet is actually Bajor, the entire Skrreeans race comes through and the leader, Haneek, petitions for an island on Bajor.  However with very little coming from the Bajoran Provisional Government and tensions building on the station, a group of Skrreeans make a run for Bajor with disastrous consequences. This episode is essentially an example of many refugee crisis' that we've seen throughout the years. This is also one of many examples of the allusion to the Dominion. Them being the reason of Skrreeans evacuation. The discussions between Kira and Haneek are great and the tragic ending that happens and the last conversation could be seen as how today we deal with situations like this and how no permanent solution is ever found.

10. Destiny
One of the things I believe DS9 always got right was Sisko and his experience of the Bajoran belief. Seasons 1-3 are where he's not to sure about accepting it and the plan of the prophets, come seasons 4-7 he had accepted it somewhat and his role as the Bajoran Emissary to the Prophets. In Destiny, a season 3 episode, while planning to deploy a sub-space transceiver in the Gamma Quadrant with the Cardassians, a Bajoran Vedek arrives claiming that the deployment of the device and working with the Cardassians will result with the destruction of Bajor, DS9 and the Wormhole as told in a prophecy. Sisko dismisses it. However Kira does not and slowly the signs from the prophecy start beginning to appear which could mean the destruction of the Wormhole. Destiny runs into the fascinating category for me. It entertaining as all hell and it's a puzzle as you put together the pieces of the prophecy together and link it with the signs in the episode. It isn't action heavy, yet it's one of my favourites.

9. For The Uniform
In the second episode of the Michael Eddington trilogy, former crew member Michael Eddington and his group of Maquis begin attacking Cardassian colonies. These attacks possibly leading to an open war with the Cardassian union, one the union would lose with their extinction. Sisko and crew give chase in a lobotomised Defiant and it's a game of cat and mouse resulting in a badass yet questionable move by Captain Sisko. This episode is great for it's action, dialogue and more importantly, the back and forth between Sisko and Eddington. Sisko's obsession with bringing Eddington in is a highlight and puts him almost in a villain's light for some of the episode. Sisko's action at the end I personally believe is justified and his monologue to Eddington about the Maquis after the attack on the USS Malinche is correct. In TNG and early DS9, the Maquis were a nausence to say the least. Sure they could cause damage and death but in my eyes not a major threat. However when they attacked a Federation starship they became a threat that need to be to be dealt with. The comment of them being terrorists became true.

8. The Darkness and the Light
Members of Kira Nerys' old resistance cell are being murdered in freak killings. After each death, an automated message is sent to Kira stating "That's one. That two." etc. When two more are killed on the station, Kira begins a hunt for the killer revealing it to be a victim of one of her operation's during Bajor's occupation. Throughout Deep Space Nine, the Bajoran resistance is not painted as heroes. Sure they won and drove off the Cardassians from Bajor, however a lot of harm was done. A lot of what Kira did she openly admits she's proud off but had to be done. This episode could be seen as a way for the resistance to get what they had coming. For the crimes they committed in the Cardassian eyes. There are some great moments in this and this is one of Nana Visitors best. Her speech to a character is one on the best and should be quoted more.

7.  The Visitor 

Pretty much all of these from now on except maybe one are the "no brainers". Told by an older Jake Sisko, after an accident shifts Ben Sisko out of reality we follow Jake over the next several decades of his life as he deals with the loss of his dad and how he dealt with his father moving in an out of reality at random points. One of my favourite moments is when Sisko reappears in his son's home, Jake breaks down in regret at the fact that his dad never got to see how far he'd come in life and his profession and for giving up on finding his dad. This episode is one of the damn best. Great performance's from Brooks, Loften and Tony Todd, who performed the older Jake. A great episode that didn't need action to tell part of it's story. Not much can be say about this episode other than go watch it.

6. The Way of the Warrior 
To kick off Season 4 and DS9 2.0, the Klingons come to the station for "shore leave" however after altercations on the station and one in Bajoran space that involved taking out Ben Sisko's baby (The Defiant), Sisko realises that somethings up with the Klingons and calls on the assistance of LT Commander Worf and they discover that the Klingon Empire plans to invade Cardassia. What results is the end of the Klingon/Federation Alliance and the beginnings of war between the two powers, starting with an attack by a massive Klingon Fleet on Deep Space Nine. The Way of the Warrior is effectively a DS9 movie and should be see as one in my books. It has great action, great writing and the addition of Worf was a stroke of genius as it paved the way for character development for him and seeing him in a command situation as the series progress into the latter half. Can we quickly talk about that final battle? The battle is just perfect. A fantastic cross of models and CGI. The dialogue is relevant and there isn't any cutting to random pedestrians running into the battle. It's all battle tactics talk and status updates before an epic verbal exchange between Sisko, Worf and Gowron. Also the music. Something DS9 always got right was the music and by god was the music here outstanding.

5.
Like many people, some episodes every likes the same and i'm like that with these two and two more on this list. So at joint 5th is.......

Emissary
Several years after the Battle of Wolf 359 and the loss of his wife, Commander Benjamin Sisko is put in charge of the space station, Deep Space Nine, over the planet of Bajor. The planet has petitioned for membership into the Federation after 6 decades of occupation by the Cardassians. The Cardassians strip mined the planet of most of it's natural resources and were eventually driven off by a Bajoran resistance. The crew of the station discovers a wormhole leading to the other side of the galaxy in the Gamma Quadrant. Sisko is then taken by the aliens who reside within the wormhole, who must persuade them of his people's intentions with Bajor and overcome his past and the attachment there, while on the station, one that's not well armed, a stand off begins to build with three Cardassian ships. This for a pilot episode is really damn entertaining. Everyone is established well, its well written,  the music is outstanding and the addition of Patrick Stewart guest staring as Captain Jean-Luc Picard is great to see. I have two favourite scenes here. The first being the exchange between Sisko and Picard and the hatred Sisko has for Picard but more for his persona as Locutus of Borg. The second is Sisko admitting that he's stuck at the past at the point of his wife's death and how he lives with that pain.

What We Leave Behind

As the Dominion War reaches it's climax, so did the series in this incredible, emotional finale. The Federation Alliance comprised of Starfleet, The Klingons and Romulans as well as support from the Cardassian Rebellion led by Legate Damar, Garak and Kira, an all out attack is launched against the Dominion on Cardassia and in space. It also ends the battle between Sisko, Dukat, the Prophets and the Pah Wraiths in the fire caves of Bajor. It's an all out final attack and the end of 7 years of a compelling and engaging story. Every one of the characters gets a moment to shine, showing how far they've come on the station that has changed their lives and what will be missed when they move on in their lives. Avery Brooks has his shining moment in Ben Sisko's sacrifice in the end and for me the highlight scene is the final shot of DS9 spinning away into the final frontier. This is a great finale to a great pilot. This has some great moments with writing, effects and music. It's one of the most satisfying finales to a series i've seen and ends 7 years of awesome,

4. The Changing Face of Evil
Part 4 of the 9 part story arc that would end the show. The Dominion, now allied with the Breen, launch an attack on Earth. With Starfleet picking it's wounds, the new enemy alliance launches an attack on Chin'toka, the Federation's only foothold in enemy territory, and the Breen show off their power by disabling then destroying several ship including the Defiant. Meanwhile, Legate Damar's rebellion begin to be born and Kai Winn, the spiritual leader of Bajor, begins reading forbidden texts. This episode is so damn good. It contains one of my favourite pieces of music on the DS9 soundtrack. The Defiant's "death" is handled so well. In DS9, I found that the writers treated the Defiant as a character and in this battle, we see the ship being blown apart, she flies backwards as if providing cover for the fleeing escape pods as well as giving off a final scream as she dies. Incredibly effective in giving off an emotional response from your audience. I'm a huge fan of Damar's final speech at the end. Reminds me of speeches giving by Winston Churchill during World War II. Speeches of hope and inspiration that are really well implemented and Sisko's final line of the episode is very engaging and a great hook into making people tune into the next episode. "Legate Damar maybe the key to saving the Alpha Quadrant."

3. Afterimage
I didn't realise how much I really liked this episode until after a recent rewatch. Following the death of Jadzia Dax, the Dax Symbiont is placed within a young trill named Ezri Tigan. Now Ezri Dax, she has to adjust to her new life and new situation.  Worf is not being the most helpful in that adjustment as he is not so kind to Ezri throughout most of the episode, dealing with his grief. Meanwhile Garak is suffering claustrophobic attacks and Ezri is tasked with helping him. I'm not gonna turn this into a Jadzia vs Ezri contest but here are my thoughts on Ezri. Nicole De Boer is fantastic as Ezri throughout the seventh season and she has some great moments in this episode. Her first being the opening and how she hangs near the Bajoran temple on the station as if drawn there but afraid to go in as it's where she died previously. The second is actually really comedic in where she uses an alternate door to get into Sisko's office in order to avoid Worf. I thought it was kinda funny. I get a kick out of it every time. The next is her after she is insulted by Garak who is suffering from a claustrophobic attack. she retreat to the temple and begins to cry. I gotta admit I feel for her and understand her pain. I feel that a lot of people actually are annoyed by Worf's attitude towards his crew members and Ezri but I actually sympathise with him as we all say things that we don't mean when we're hurt. The music is great again, especially during the opening near the temple and at the end at the silent scene between Worf and Ezri. No words just a raise of the mug and a smile from our favourite Klingon. Come to think of it, Worf smiling is kinda freaky.

2. 
Again two episodes share this spot.

Call to Arms
With more and more Dominion ships coming through the wormhole and more systems signing no aggression pacts with the Dominion, war seems inevitable and Sisko decides to mine the wormhole to prevent more ships from the Gamma Quadrant. This, in turn, will be effectively a declaration of war against the Dominion. As the Dominion sends a fleet led by Gul Dukat against the station, Sisko provides a distraction while the Defiant mines the entrance to the wormhole. Once done, Starfleet abandons the station, leaving it in Dukat's hands. But the sight of Sisko's baseball, signalling he's coming back, and the Defiant joining a massive Federation and Klingon fleet, War has been declared. This episode is one of the all time greats due to the tone of dread, the amazing action pieces especially between the DS9 and the Dominion fleet and the music piece to go with it is a fantastic to behold. Those final few minutes are some of the best in my opinion. What I feel is that most seasons of Deep Space Nine ended on either sombre or a "oh crap" feel. Call to Arms, every time I see that fleet, gets me pumped for season 6, even though I've watched through DS9 so many times.

Sacrifice of Angels
With the minefield close to being taken offline, Sisko rallies a fleet and charges to take back Deep Space Nine from Dukat and the Dominion. What results is a spectacle of a battle, the DS9 and the Defiant vs thousands of Dominion ship and victory for the crew. Meanwhile on the station, the resistance launches it's attack in attempt to stop the minefield detonation and Dukat goes insane.
What can be said about Sacrifice? This episode hit all the right beats. The action is outstanding, the dialogue on point, the tension builds at all the appropriate moments and the show makes you feel for Dukat. I'm a big music fan (can't you tell) and that final fanfare at the end and that sense of t. triumph is a great feeling after what the viewers have to sit through effectively six weeks worth of war. If you haven't go see Sacrifice of Angels.

Before number 1, here are some honourable mentions in no particular orde:

Far Beyond The Stars

 For The Cause

Waltz

 Past Prologue

Life Support

Duet 

 The Magnificent Ferengi

The Reckoning

By Inferno's Light

And Number 1 is.........

In the Pale Moonlight

Yeah this was pretty much a no brainer.
At this point in the Dominion war, the Klingons and the Federation are losing the war, badly. Every power in the Alpha Quadrant has joined the Dominion or signed a no aggression pact with them. Told in flashback from Sisko's point of view and his front room (never thought i'd say that), He admits to conspiring with Garak to create a deception that would bring the Romulans into the war. Pale Moonlight is effectively a confession from a good man of all the crimes he committed. Yet it was all for the greater good of the quadrant. This episode is what happens when everything and a person is push to the limit and what they do in that situation. It's one of Avery Brooks' outstanding performances, one of Star Trek's best and a great character piece for Ben Sisko.
What makes this episode stand out to me is how it's paced and the revelation at the end. When a dramatic moment hit the audience, we cut back to Sisko in his living room and he describes his reaction perfectly. Some of the best moments of episode are Sisko on his own, in his living room and the greatest moments of the episode and the show, if put in that situation again, Sisko would do it all over again. And live with it.

Well those are my personal favourites of Deep Space Nine. A fantastic show from start to finish. Outstanding performances all round and an engaging story. If you have not seen it, I do strongly recommend it. You won't be disappointed. 

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Creed Movie Review 'Going The Distance' Once Again

Creed is the highly anticipated spin off to the Rocky Balboa Saga. Starring Michael B Jordan, Sylvester Stallone and Tessa Thompson. It follows Adonis Johnson (Jordan) who is the legitimate son of former heavy weight champion Apollo Creed who died in the ring in Rocky IV. Adonis has been a fighter all his life and goes to Philadelphia to be trained professionally by former heavy weight champion Rocky Balboa (Stallone) who eventually agrees (it's not a spoiler it's in the trailer). Along the way, he must learn to accept the name "Creed" and learn to be his own man, not be stuck in the shadow of his father and inspire Rocky to fight when he falls critically ill (it's not a spoiler it's in the trailer).

Characters

Adonis & Rocky

Individually these characters are strong. Adonis is your typical person wanting to be better than he is. He has a dream and he wants to follow it by becoming a fighter. Michael B Jordan plays him incredibly and makes Adonis a realistic and relatable character. With Stallone bak as Rocky, it's like he never left. He portrays Rocky like a seasonal fighter, moved away from the ring and into the Mickey role (better than in Rocky V). He's even a damaged character. He's by himself, lost his best friend as well as his wife (it's not a spoiler it's in the trailer).  The only thing he has is his restaurant and then this kid comes along and gets him back to training and teaching this kid how to make his mark in the world. Holy Sh*t this film cements that Sylvester Stallone is not typed casted as an action star. He can do the emotional and the dramatic and there's a point in this film where you actually feel sorry for the guy and you actually, well i did, panic at the note of his illness. Sly is back. Rocky is back.

The bond these two have is I think the best friendship/family dynamic I've seen in any film. Rocky is inspiring to Adonis and Adonis is Inspiring to Rocky. It's a classic case of they are both in need of each other. What I also like was Rocky does what Apollo did for him in Rocky III, which is incredible. Every scene these guys share makes the film all the more gratifying and amazing. I hope so badly Sylvester Stallone wins that oscar.

Bianca

I could go on about this character but i'm just gonna say this. She's f***ing incredible. She takes top spot as my personal favourite female character in anything, book, tv and film. She's portrayed be Tessa Thompson and I personally believe she's gonna start getting more and more roles now because of this film. She's a strong character and presence in this film. You learn about her through her music and is up there with Adrian as one of the best supportive characters out there.

These two tie with Rocky and Adrian as my favourite on screen couple. It's real. It's not force like most screen romances and it's natural. Their chemistry is fantastic. It's almost exactly the same a Rocky and Adrian.

This film overall is f***ing fantastic. Its got a cracking score, amazing cinematography, realistic characters and a touching story. It is by far my new favourite film of all time.  If you're a Rocky fan you'll love it. If not you'll still love this film. If you're a sports fan you'll love this film. if not. Well you get the picture. GO SEE IT!!!!!!!!!!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Spoiler (sort of) Review

What can I say that hasn't already been said about the Force Awakens. It is fantastic and in my opinion tied as my second favourite Star Wars film along side A New Hope & Return of the Jedi. The story is great. The characters, old and new, are great and always keep me entertained from start to finish. The effects are amazing and it ends in such away I'm looking forward to Episode 8. The soundtrack is great and the cinematographer deserves a damn oscar. I cannot complain about this film at all. It is unquestionably my favourite film of 2015.

The Story

Episode 7, set 30 years after Return of the Jedi, follows Rey, Finn and Poe Dameron's fight with Rebel Alliance veterans Han Solo, Leia Organa and Chewbacca against Kylo Ren and the First Order, decedents of Galactic Empire, as both sides want the location of missing Jedi, Luke Skywalker.

The New Characters

Rey
Rey is a prime example of my belief that women can do as much as men. She's a strong presence in the film, able to take charge, very athletic, incredibly pretty and extremely talented. Her reveal of being a force user was incredibly well executed and extremely well written. Daisy Ridley is fantastic as Rey. She's able to hold the leading role with such strength and able to be talented in every scene she's in. I'm extremely interested to see where they take her character in episode 8. 

Finn

Finn is one of the funniest characters in the film and John Boyega portrays him excellently. His first few scenes are great and to see how he knows being in the First Order is wrong and how conflicted he is in the opening scene on Jakku. Even though he's in a helmet in that scene i can tell he's also utterly terrified of Kylo Ren. His character arch in this film is perfect. How he goes from running away to being the first person to volunteer to rescue Rey is perfectly done and his fight with both the stormtrooper and Kylo Ren are great entertainment.

Poe Dameron

Poe is simply the most likeable character in any film. He's funny, a strong leader, quick to make jokes and overall probably the most realistic character in cinematic history. It's also great to see how much of a leader he is and that he is a inspiration to the Resistance as he just gives orders and everyones first reaction is "right behind you Poe".  I wish he was in the film more and I hope to see more of him in episode 8 & 9.

Kylo Ren/Ben Solo

I don't care what people say, I think that Kylo Ren is a brilliant villain with and without the mask. He's the perfect antagonist to span this new trilogy. He's personally my favourite Star Wars villain after Darth Vader. In the helmet, he's very imposing, very intimidating and honestly at times, quite funny. His moments with Snoke are perfect and when he's speaking to the remains of the Vader helmet, it's personally my favourite scene with him alongside his reveal on Jakku which was well shot and made him be more menacing than he needed to be. In my first viewing of the film, I will admit I wasn't fond of him with his helmet off. He felt like too much of a whinny teenager. Then in both my second, third viewing and while reading the novel, I understood his motivation more and why he acts like he

does because simply, he wants to be the next Vader and if done right, I think he could be. Also one of my favourite bits of dialogue from him is between him and his father, Han Solo. In a way, him saying "I'm being torn apart. I want to be free of this pain. I know what I have to do but I don't know if I have the strength to do it. Will you help me?" is in away so incredibly twisted that the average movie goer may not see what he really means. Also I love the design of his lightsaber.

 The Veterans

Han Solo

It is great to see Han back. Harrison Ford brings the character back to how he was exactly in the original trilogy. His reveal on the Millennium Falcon alongside Chewbacca was magical and it felt like A New Hope. He's also incredible funny and his banter with Chewie shows how far the characters have come and it's such an incredibly great brotherly relationship. His moments with Leia are great. Reminds me of them in Return of the Jedi and that theres now history between them. His moments with the new characters highlight how amazing the acting talents of Harrison Ford are. His death definitely shocked me and I'm sad to not be able to see him in any more Star Wars films. 

Leia Organa

Though not in it a lot (i'd say the same amount of time as Poe) its great from a story perspective to see how far General Leia Organa has come as both a leader and character. Carrie Fisher brings her back to life excellently. She is definitely a leader and a mother grieving and desperate to get her son back. Her moments with Han are brilliant and convey exactly what i expected from them. I definitely want to see her return in the sequels.

Luke Skywalker

Though only in the last couple minutes on the screen, I think it's the perfect amount of time to see the effect of the events in the intervening time before this film has on him and that he doesn't have a single line is brilliant. The look he pulls off shows the incredible acting talents of Mark Hamill. I can't to see Luke in episode 8 and i desperately hope 9 as he's one off my favourite Jedi. Though I will admit it would have been incredibly badass if Luke appeared in the fight between Rey and Kylo Ren. 

Chewbacca

Chewie is by far my favourite character in this film. He's funny, excellent in the action scenes and i think more human in this film. The banter between him and Han is great and I enjoy his comical moments with Finn. The moment when he tackles Captain Phasma makes me chuckle at every viewing. But the moment that stands out to me is the moment when Han is killed, the roar/screen he makes hits me where it hurts. Chewie essential just saw his best friend/brother be murder by his friends own son and him just shooting Ben in the side was incredible and the scene of him just sitting in the Resistance base hit me also. I'm 99% sure that if he were human, he's silently crying or is cause i don't know if Wookies can cry or not. Best character in the film in my opinion. 

If you have not seen this film, go and see it now. I cannot stress that enough. It is a fantastic film. If you do unfortunately miss it in the cinema, grab it on DVD or Blu-Ray in April.

All material belongs to their respectable owners.

Halo: The Fall of Reach Animated Film Review (spoilers)

And here we are. The next film production by 343 Industries, Halo: The Fall of Reach. A basic nearly word for word retelling of the novel of the same name set before Halo: CE. It tells the story of Doctor Catherine Halsey kidnapping 150 children and inducted them into the Spartan II program. We follow the candidate 117 AKA John 117, The Master Chief and we watch him slowly become a leader and the hero we know him to be in the Halo games.
Again 343 have pulled another great production out of their hats. H:TFOR is a fantastic animated feature and is true to the source material. The voice acting is superb and the story strong. Whats also surprisingly great is they don't hide how graphic and horrible the Spartan II augmentations were.

The Good

The Animation Style
The animation was, at first watch, jarring and confusing. why 343 would use that kind of animation as they've used better in Halo Legends: The Package? Yet on a second watch, I recognised the artistic value and the it resemble early Final Fantasy movies which i've always thought were artistic achievements. The film I believe attempts to use almost a water colour effect which works fantastically and the tense atmosphere that produces in certain scenes is brilliant.

Voice Acting
The voice cast is outstanding. Jen Taylor certainly works her magic and brings out the young Halsey in her voice. Steve Downes, though a minor role,  gives off so much emotion in his voice than any other game, minus the end of Halo 4, and the voice actor for younger John also gives off an outstanding performance.

How Real They Make The Film Feel
As stated before, The Fall of Reach does not hide the trauma these kids go through. You see a kid during the augmentation process and violently thrash about before kicking the bucket. Also when the introduce the Mjolnir armour, they again show a kid wearing the armour and it slowly twist and breaking his bones and the kids screams are not muffled or hidden. They are loud and you feel for how much pain these kids must have gone through. In Halo Legends: Homecoming. You understand the psychological trauma of the kids becoming spartans and here you see what the physical trauma. It's nice to see 343 expanding and seeing the different ends of the spectrum of Halo Lore and not staying tame.

The Bad
I have 2 minor gripes and one major gripe with this film.

Minor Gripes:

Continuity Error
Theres a point in this film where you see John, Fred, Linda and Kelly all in their mark 6 Spartan II armour on the planet Reach where Sam carved a symbol into a tree to show they'd been there and of their friendship. 
Ok:
1. If this is set during the novel they're in the wrong armour. They should be in either mark 4 or logically mark 5. 
2. If it's set after Halo 4 and John's return to the team, Why The Hell Are They On Reach??!! As far as I'm aware when the Covenant "glass" a planet, it becomes uninhabitable for several decades to everyone including enhanced super soldiers in armour. Time wise its only been 5, maybe 6 year, NOT SEVERAL DECADES!!!

The Run Time
Halo: The Fall of Reach runs for about 67 minutes (1 hour 7 minutes). Because of this run time, a lot of scenes are incredibly rushed and possible several crucial plot points are just shown in montage or are glossed over and they could have been expanded on.

Major Gripe:

THE FILMS TITLE IS A LIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Holy crap on high!!! What I hate most about films of any kind is false advertising and/or lying to its audience. This film doesn't tell the story of the Fall of Reach. It's how the kids are indoctrinated into becoming soldiers, the introduction of the Covenant and the death of Samuel. In essence THE FIRST HALF OF THE DAMN BOOK!!!!! I'm not kidding. The primary story ends with the infiltration of the Covenant cruiser and Sam staying behind to detonate a nuke after his suit is compromised. When we return to the team back on reach next to the tree, he says his final line and then.... cut to credits. What the f**k 343?! When you emphasise in your promotional material about this being based off of the novel a lot of people, including myself, were gullible to think you meant the whole novel, not half the novel with some add bit that isn't in the novel or any expanded universe stuff, which I thought was excellent material and show Blue team as a family. This should have been called Halo: Spartan Origins. Yes its a crappy title and is too similar to Halo Legend: Origins, but at least it actually rhymes with the god damn story.

Even though I've torn this film a new one and it sound like its the worst thing 343i has made well it isn't, I'm looking at you Spartan Assault and Spartan Strike, This animated film is definitely a good watch and because of my major grip, i hope theres a "part 2" to this at some point.

7 Things I WANT To See In Transformers 5

Let me put it this way: Michael Bay's Transformers films (and Star Wars) are the reason for me wanting to pursue a career in the TV and Film Industry. I personally think they're great films with great characters and take some great ideas from the lore to implement into the films.  Transformers, Dark of The Moon and Age of Extinction have great stories and I like the concept for Revenge of The Fallen, though I will admit it's the weakest of the 4. And with the 5th instalment on it's way due for release in 2017 (they originally said 2016 but the majorly f***ed that up), I have chosen to compile a list of 7 things I want to see in the new film. It's your classic countdown list so no need to go over the rules. Also their is a heavily minor spoiler for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

7. Don’t add tonnes of new Autobots.

A thing I found really great about the 4th instalment is the fact there about five Autobot’s in the whole film. It makes the interactions between each of the characters more personal and give them more personality. In the first 2 films (minus Optimus) they don’t have much personality and come off as either over acted, wooden……. or severely racist. In the third, some characters do actually expand their characteristics and have more personality. Like the first film, Age of Extinction has only a small amount of Autobots which allows a lot of good moments between them and allows them to have a lot of personality (more in AOE). When it comes to the 5th film, the number of Autobots should remain the same. These being Drift, Hound, Bumblebee, Crosshairs and Optimus Prime. If you add more, you end up making the film massively overcrowded with the Transformers characters and be like ROTF and DOTM. You can maybe add two…… MAXIMUM!!!!  Examples being Ultra Magnus and Powerglide.

6. Bring Back Steve Jablonsky.

Steve Jablonsky is the man behind the amazing score for all four films. I am a sucker for movie scores and I believe Jablonsky is on his way to be the next John Williams and Hans Zimmer. He created the incredible “Optimus” theme for the 2nd film, the epic “Battle” theme of the 3rd film and the emotionally pumping “Dinobot Charge” theme of the 4th film. He is incredibly talented and without him, someone else composing the score for these films is like someone else other than John Williams composing the Star Wars scores. It will feel incredibly wrong. He's done great collaborations with Skrillex, Imagine Dragons and Linkin Park. Jablonsky is the man who should be the one who does the score.

5. Less Scenes Dominated by The Human Factor.

A big problem that a lot of people have with the TF films is simply; too many scenes with humans and not enough with the Transformers. 1 and Revenge of The Fallen had this. We spend to much time with the human characters and sometimes it makes the Tformer characters as extras with a few lines here and there. Dark of The Moon moved away from this slightly as there were a lot more scenes with the Transformers, mainly scenes that involved Bumblebee, Optimus and Sentinel Prime. However the human characters were the main focus still. AOE had it has 50/50 once we pass the one hour mark, Which benefits the Autobot characters well as explained in my fifth point. Also when looking at the films, the Decepticons are only in a few scenes prior to the final act. Then they have a massive presence throughout the final battle sequences. Number 5 needs to have more screen time with the Transformers characters and less of the human factor. Though the human characters are beneficial to setting a film on present day Earth, We're here to see giant robots, not humans.

4. Another "Battle of Chicago" Style Final Act.

One of my all time favourite fight scenes in any film is the last hour of Dark of The Moon. The Autobots are massively outnumbered, we get amazing fight sequences, incredible effects and a great one on one final battle between Optimus Prime and Sentinel Prime. A lot of people will disagree with me on this but....Transformers 5 needs that kind of final fight scene. If you don't like it for the story, it's a great visual masterpiece and shows how real the Autobots are even as CGI characters. The fight will need to follow a specific formula.
1. Start with the initial combat scene. The heroes entering where the final battle is to take place and maybe engaging a few enemies.
2. Have the Autobots and human characters split and have them engaging in two separate fight scenes and eventually come back together.
3. Show the return of Optimus due to he flew off at the end of the Age of Extinction.
4. Kill a character we've come to love whether it be Autobot or Human.
5. Have the final fight between Prime and whoever the main villain is for the film.
It's a formula I think that will work and make the fight a memorable one.

3. Two Separate Narratives.

With what happens at the end of Age of Extinction, there's now the opportunity for two stories to be told. You can have one featuring Optimus hunting down the Creators and running into Unicron and the second having Cade and the Autobots hunting and fighting Galvatron and the new Decepticons and then both narratives link and come together by the final act. Both stories will need to obviously make sense but this is also the opportunity to be creative. The Optimus story can be very lore based and a CGI environment. They can delve into Transformers history and can make way for the multiple sequels that are planned. With the Cade and the Autobots story, that can be character driven. Show how much they've grown as a team and family as the fight the Decepticons and that and make the death of one of the characters in the final battle all the more traumatic and all the more heartbreaking.

2. No Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime.

My earliest memory of the Transformers is the 2001 series Transformers: Robots in Disguise and Unicron Trilogy which features the series' Armada, Energon and Cybertron. I didn't even start watching the original 1980's cartoon till around the time the first live action film came out and my first exposure to that was the animated film which is ...yeah it's pretty fantastic. I then watched the series then by the time I got to season 3 and Rodimus Prime was now the leader of the Autobots....put it this way; I hate Rodimus Prime. He is impulsive and keeps comparing himself to Optimus saying he'll never be good enough as him and on several occasions is willing to give up leadership with a snap of the figure. He's essentially a teenager going through puberty and its f***ing frustrating to watch. I tend to skip season 3 and only watch the beginning of the season and the end of the season. When an article was published late 2014 on a story that turned out to be false, Rodimus was meant to come in and Optimus was to die...again. If this was true, it would have been a crap a terrible move on both Michael Bay and Paramounts part and you would have pissed off a lot of fans. Even if they have plans to add Rodimus into the mix, Please for the love of God, Don't.

Here are a few honourable mentions to thing I want to see in Transformers 5:

Unicorn

More Galvatron

No mcguffin devices

And old character from the first trilogy

Combiners

Optimus vs Unicorn





















1. Optimus Prime as The Main Character and Focus Point of the film.

As previously stated in point 7, with so many characters a lot of then don't have time to expand on their characteristics and/or stories. This happened to Optimus in the first 2 films however his character expanded in 3 & 4. In 5 the focus should be on him and his story and how his departure at the end of AOE has affected the Autobot team on Earth. Have Optimus occupy the majority of scenes like Finn and Rey in The Force Awakens. Also the film should focus on his journey to fight the Creators, him delving into Cybertronian history and behind the scenes, allow Peter Cullen to flesh out Optimus more. Also this would be a perfect time to have this movie incarnation of Optimus Prime return to the classic character traits which he is known for and not have any major out of character moments that have happened in the last 4 films. And for god sakes not kill him. Also a great thing would be to expand on the friendship between Prime and Cade as it was a great attribute in AOE and can be expanded on in 5. This film should essentially be Optimus' story.