Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (No Spoilers)

When I first saw an advertisement on the television for this new series, I must say I was instantly excited and interested in what they were going to do with it. I was not disappointed.

First of all, I'd like to make my opinion known on a subject that I've already seen some negative feed from. The fact that they brought Agent Coulson back honestly did not
bother me in the slightest. I thought it was a clever move on their part to have an already well-established and well-liked character to start with, something that any good spin-off should have anyways. I look forward to seeing how that story line will play out.

My overall impression of the first episode was that I felt satisfied with it. I was pleased with how they started, and was already interested and invested in the various characters by the end of the 45 minutes. A promising start.

The clever and witty dialogue was very enjoyable. Seeing some more of the inner workings of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the day to day stuff that happens after all the supers have headed back to Stark Tower, Asgard, etc. was pleasing to see, as well as quite a few shiny new gadgets for the sci-fi and tech geeks to appreciate.

The one thing which threw me a bit was the few instances where there was stronger language than I had anticipated. This being a television show rather than a movie, they do have a bit more freedom in that area.

All in all, I liked what I saw, and I am definitely going to be watching the upcoming episodes.

Guns of Icarus

This review was created by my brother, I asked his permission to share it here.
He also has his own blog with his gaming ideas and projects from his school at VFS (Vancouver Film School) here. Firmus

Please enjoy, and as usual; thanks for reading. 

   I just started playing the Guns of Icarus online, and I must say that it is probably one of the best team based games I have played yet. I must admit that I have not played many team games, but the ones that I have played made me feel like my team was just multiple people wanting the same thing and running around on their own, or in pairs to get it done rather than being one unit. in this game teems consist of two or more dirigibles, and each one has 4 people on it. Unlike other games, a single person does not carry the whole team, but all of the players must work in unison to get the job done. Each person is crucial, there is the Pilot: who steers the dirigible in and out of combat, the Gunner: who mans the different guns on the dirigible, and the Mechanics: who run around fixing the ship, and who man the guns when needed. Each job on the dirigible is fun too; I have just as much fun being a mechanic, and flying or shooting.

*in short, Guns of Icarus is a great game.

City of Bones Movie

   My expectations were low for this movie, and the real reason I had gone to it was for my younger sister and friends. To my surprise and enjoyment I found this movie very well done.
   I have not read the book for this series, and my only knowledge of it is a friend who told me it is very accurate to the book with some of her favorite quotes.
   My negative feedback is one major problem parents should look for. There are slight hints here and there, and then Clary (the protagonist) implies outright about one of the characters being gay, which he is. That did set me off and I wonder what the world is coming to when we even have gays in our movies.
   It can be rather violent with slaying of monsters they call "demons" and can be very scary for younger viewers, although I would not rate it as high as the X-men movies when it comes to violence.
   One more thing to watch out for is that near the beginning Clary's mother uses Jesus' name in vain. I only caught it that one time otherwise it is a clean speaking movie.
 

 It is a fast action movie, with terrific graphics, and set design. The costumes were very creative and the characters were well picked for their parts.
   The movie does take a twist that I did not predict to my enjoyment, and kept a good pace all the way to the end. It really drew out our imagination and had humor we could laugh out right at. 

   I would definitely say younger kids should not watch this movie, but is something teens can enjoy and be drawn into the world, as long as they are careful not to accept the world view of "Believing in yourself," and being gay is okay. 

Thanks for reading.

Divergent: Different

   I have read the first book of the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth. At first I thought it far too similar to Suzanne Collins Hunger Games trilogy: Based sometime in the future. The government was corrupt so sections of people were created. The protagonist is a teenage girl that hardly knows anything about what is going on. With those similarities, the rest is all different and more to my liking. 

    What were not very much appreciated from a Christian view was the all the killing and deaths. Some of it I realized was unavoidable, some of the deaths actually happen in real life now a days and can be understandably put in. However when there is a gun in a fourteen year old girls hand, shooting people, I cringe. Some of the deaths she caused I believe could have been avoidable, thus sparking my dislike.
   My second disapproving remark would be the kissing. Lots of lovey-dovey kissing whenever possible, that I am sure could have been left out.
   Now on to the good stuff.
   I did approve -to my surprise- the love interest. At first I thought the inevitable love triangle would appear, but Miss Veronica snatches that away quickly. The love interest between out protagonist "Tris" and an older boy called Four, do not spend an annoyingly long time figuring out they like each other. So besides all the smooching it was rather touching to see-I mean read. 

   My second compliment would be for the protagonist Tris, as she is called. She is not overly beautiful or tall. She is just like any normal girl. She knows she is not perfect (Not just in looks) and that she is hard to deal with, making her a character a lot of girls can enjoy and relate to.
   Lastly I would like to say cheers to the creator of this world, Veronica Roth. Unlike the Hunger Games which looked to be sloppily put together, Miss Veronica delved deeper. I learned that she actually studied in college to be a creative writer, which gave her the writing style and skills something to appreciate.
  

 On a side note coming from a regular classic books reader I would say Veronica Roth has been one of the best popular modern writers I have read that I really enjoy, and I look forward to reading the next two books in the Divergent cycle, Insurgent and Allegiant. 

     Thanks for reading.