Review: The Walking Dead 115

Non Spoiler Review:

All Out War kicks off with issue 115 as Rick, Ezekiel and Jesus embark on their confrontation with Negan. As everyone says their (hopefully) temporary good-byes, Rick has feelings of self-doubt.

A great start to what promises to be an epic storyline. The pacing was fast and didn't drag, as it could have given how many months this is going to play out. I don't doubt it's going to be an enjoyable ride and could really unfold in a host of ways, not all of them beneficial for our protagonists.

Spoilers Now:

As the day arrives, Rick says good-bye to Andrea and Carl, who are left in charge of the town's security. Rick is filled with inner turmoil about his decisions despite Andrea's pep talk. Meanwhile, Michonne slept with Ezekiel, and as they get up his aide Richard informs him their men have arrived.

Eugene has resolved his moral conflict over making bullets and production is well underway. After meeting with him Rick addresses the townspeople to explain they will soon be called upon to ensure they keep their way of life in ways they've not been asked to before.

The army sets off and arrives at Negan's compound where Rick calls him out. Negan is outraged at their audacity. While both want to avoid a damaging conflict, Rick lays out his terms—no harm will come to the people inside as long as Negan and his men turn themselves over to be killed. As Rick sees things are going as they planned, Negan announces he has a better idea, and produces Gregory, who tells Rick and Jesus that the Hilltop stands with Negan, and any of their men who fight against them will have their families thrown out to fend for themselves.

The Verdict:

All Out War is year long storyline, so I had no expectation we'd find any quick fixes to the Negan problem. This is the first time the survivors have been called upon to act as an army and it remains to be seen if Rick, Jesus and Ezekiel can keep their people in line under stressful conditions.

For the moment it's unclear how Negan plans to back up Gregory's threat to kick out the families of those who support the attack. One would think that would cause a rebellion back at the Hilltop if that were the case, unless he has much more support behind him than we've seen. Hopefully Maggie becomes a force in that arena.

Review: The Walking Dead 114

Non Spoiler Review:

As the tense standoff with Negan goes on, events quickly accelerate at Alexandria.

Continuing on the cliffhanger from last month, Issue 114 delivered a strong conclusion to the current storyline, with a dash of deux ex machina. But that didn't detract from enjoyment of the story as the series moves into its epic All Out War.

Spoilers Now!

As Negan gloats to Rick at Andrea's apparent death, he adds it's only the beginning of the killing he's about to inflict on him and his people. That leads to one of the prisoners pleading for his life given he has a family, but that only raises Negan's ire, and suggests anyone who tells him to kill this guy will be spared. The others refuse, so Negan prepares to begin his slaughter until Jesus arrives in force with Ezekiel (and tiger). Jesus apprehends Negan and holds a gun to his head, warning his men to stand down.

In the tiger slashing mayhem, Negan escapes with a few of his men and Ezekiel lets them go, warning Rick they still outnumber them and they're not prepared. Rick runs to the church tower to find Negan's dead man on the ground, and a very beaten up Andrea up top.

At the doctor, she's stitched up while Ezekiel and Jesus agree things could have unfolded a lot worse than they did if they had arrived late. Michonne berates Rick for throwing away their advantage, but Rick maintains Negan knows very little about how organized they are. In a few days they'll have all the people they need to launch an attack. Later, he tells Carl he did right, and in the coming day he needs him to remain at Alexandria to help protect the town. Carl asks his father to make sure he kills Negan. Alone, Jesus chides Rick that he needs to do better next time. Rick is a leader that the people will look up to, and it will all fall apart without him.

Meanwhile, Negan tells his people to prepare for all out war.

The Verdict:

Kirkman ended this storyline on a satisfying note, despite the last minute saves courtesy of Ezekiel and Jesus. There was really little else he could do without sacrificing a host of characters. Granted, Rick, Negan and Jesus all exemplified extraordinary survivability during the fight, with Negan's henchmen suffering the most at the paws of Ezekiel's tiger. 

Hopefully Rick's hubris has been thoroughly put in check after this latest miscalculation, and I still question Jesus' belief that Rick can be a true leader to their new civilization. We'll see how it all plays out. I'm anxious to see these characters in a prolonged war setting, and I'm sure there are ample subplots to play out over the course of the next year.

Review: Elysium

Non Spoiler Review:

In the year 2154 there are two distinct classes of humanity—the bulk of the human race stuck on the ruined Earth, and the wealthy elite who reside in the luxurious orbiting paradise of Elysium. Factory worker Max has been searching for a way to get to Elysium all his life, where miracle medical technologies are the privilege of the wealthy few, but when stricken with a fatal workplace accident, he's offered an extreme option to get into orbit and take the battle to the rich.

Elysium is a highly anticipated film from Neill Blomkamp after the immensely successful District 9, and so has big shoes to fill. What it does have is a great cast—Matt Damon as Max, Jodi Foster (Contact) as Defence Minister Delacourt, Alice Braga (I Am Legend) as Frey, and Sharlto Copley (District 9) as Kruger. It's shot much like District 9, in a gritty realism with similar rapid-fire scenes, this time with a broader palette ranging from the sprawling future Los Angeles to the pristine splendor of the space colony. It all feels like a genuine, livable future, and the technology is (for the most part) believable. As hardware-driven, smartly designed science fiction it's a success, offering innovative and detailed visuals that fans of the genre can really enjoy.

So it looks great, but the story is where things begin to fall apart. Elysium is all about class warfare, which is pretty relevant. But it doesn't entirely succeed in conveying its ideas with a solid plot or characters. There are plenty of plot devices—the Elysium miracle medical technology (and I'm not exaggerating—it's pretty much a miracle machine as far as its healing powers) is there only as a target for the put-upon people of Earth. The denizens of Elysium are far too one-dimensional to be even remotely realistic. Why be a stoic, stuck-up robot when you have a machine in your house that can heal you nearly instantly? If that's the case, one would think Elysium would be a riotous party place where anything goes. But it's the opposite. So there are major flaws in the suspension of disbelief that accumulate over the course of the movie.

My other problem with Elysium is the failure in creating a believable dystopia. The world-building looks stunning, but I struggled to understand how the society of 2154 came about. It's far enough in the future to allow for quite a bit of technological advancement as well as geo-political and economic change, but how did it get there? Why do the billionaires on Elysium behave like such dicks? They not only horde the miracle medical technology but take great pains to keep it from everyone on Earth for no good reason. What kind of government do they have? It feels very fascist, but there's no great insight into the inner goings on of the place. And there's little indication of what people do all day (unless you're stuck running a corporation on Earth). All we see are kid's birthday parties, yet people don't seem to be home long enough to prevent illegal immigrants from breaking their front door and hopping into their medical beds on a regular basis.

Character actions cause some head scratching too. As much as I love Jodi Foster, her Delacourt was outrageously cold to the point of absurdity. Matt Damon was relatively believable as the self-sacrificing Max, and even Sharlto Copley as Kruger (though he also exhibits some bizarre shifts in motivations that don't get a great deal of insight). The same can be said for Julio's actions in the final act. It's enough to add up to a heck of alot of mental distractions when attention should be focused on the story.

Elysium is a visual treat. Special effects are amazing, and the set design is top notch, conveying a realistic lived in view of the future that lacks the glitz and polish of a lot of science fiction movies (for the better). But Elysium suffers from inevitable comparisons to the far superior District 9, which isn't fair at all to Neill Blomkamp (mostly). While we can't expect grand science fiction with amazing ideas each time out, Elysium's trailers did imply that we were getting the next installment of Blomkamp's thoughtful science fiction. In that respect it failed. It's likely audiences will not be debating the moral issues of the film to the same extent as District 9. As an entertaining summer movie, I was satisfied, but not enough to pick this one up on Blu-Ray.

Review: The Walking Dead 113

Non Spoiler Review:

Issue 113 is a short but tense chapter in the ongoing battle with Negan. The face-off in Alexandria spirals out of control as Andrea fights for her life in the church tower and Rick is put back into a similar situation that led to Glen's death. 

This was a quick read, but one of the more effective issues in awhile. Events have moved passed the point of no return and I'm left wondering how (or if) Rick can get all his people out of this one.

Spoilers Now!

Jesus finds Negan's outpost empty, realizing that his men must have gone somewhere.

One of Negan's men finds Andrea in the church tower and proceeds to beat her up. Negan, meanwhile, gloats to Rick that his sniper has been found and is as good as dead, but nearly dies as a bullet clips Lucille but misses him. It's Carl behind the fence and an enraged Negan demands he be thrown over or he'll kill their people. Rick tackles him but is pulled off. Those behind the fence ignore Negan's demands.

Negan manages to calm himself and tells Rick his son has done something inexcusable. Without Carl to punish, he will kill Rick's men first, and then his people will give up the boy, as they won't be able to let him murder Rick. 

Andrea is beaten up and nearly tossed out of the tower. In town Rick tries futilely to negotiate, but he and Negan see a body fall out the window. Rick is horrified while a pleased Negan lines up his captives in preparation to execute them. In the tower Andrea drags herself back up to the window, muttering to herself that she and Rick don't die.

The Verdict:

Issue 113 was a great ride, made even more tense with the question of Andrea's fate given the death of the character on the television series. I was much relieved to see her pull herself up and hope she can grab a gun by next month. Will she manage to kill Negan? Unlikely at this point in the storyline, but a dramatic rescue is needed to get this situation under control.

Hurray for more Carl craziness. Too bad he isn't as good a shot as Andrea.