INDIE ACTION RPG 'UNDERWORLD ASCENDANT' DESCENDS ONTO PC WORLDWIDE NOVEMBER 15

INDIE ACTION RPG 'UNDERWORLD ASCENDANT' DESCENDS ONTO PC WORLDWIDE NOVEMBER 15

INDIE ACTION RPG 'UNDERWORLD ASCENDANT' DESCENDS ONTO PC WORLDWIDE NOVEMBER 15

Player-Authored Gameplay, Fantasy Inspired Animation and Classic Dungeon Exploration Transports Players Back to the Iconic Stygian Abyss

Sydney, August 20, 2018 – Underworld Ascendant, the fan-funded action RPG from independent game studio OtherSide Entertainment, co-founded by Paul Neurath (Ultima Underworld, Thief)  and Warren Spector (Deus Ex, Epic Mickey), will descend onto Steam for PC on Thursday November 20th, 2018, and will be published by 505 Games. A new trailer unveiled today at Gamescom invites players back to the memorable fantasy dungeon of the Stygian Abyss, introducing the game's main antagonist Typhon, father of monsters and nemesis of Zeus.

In Underworld Ascendant, players assume the role of 'The Ascendant,' summoned to the Stygian Abyss by a mysterious figure – Cabirus. There, they learn that Typhon, a threat to both their worlds, can only be stopped by the player. To defeat Typhon, players must uncover secrets of what happened to the inhabitants of the Abyss, gain favor with their descendants and share their knowledge and strength with them to defeat Typhon.

In a throwback to game industry veterans' Paul Neurath and Warren Spector's celebrated past, Underworld Ascendant boasts a gameplay experience that encourages different playstyles and rewards experimentation in a dungeon environment that reacts dynamically to player choices. Players can choose from a variety of items, skills and abilities that allow them to experience the game in many different ways. They must think creatively to devise unique solutions to overcome the challenges they face in the Abyss, with each decision holding great opportunity and grave consequence.

Underworld Ascendant will be published on Steam for PC on November 15, 2018 by 505 Games. Players can Wishlist the game now at: http://store.steampowered.com/app/692840.

Blizzard Entertainment brings a festival of games and community attractions to Gamescom 2018

Blizzard Entertainment brings a festival of games and community attractions to gamescom 2018

Sydney, Australia—21 August, 2018—Blizzard Entertainment will be showcasing its games and celebrating its community at gamescom 2018 in Cologne, Germany, from Tuesday, 21 August, to Saturday, 25 August CEST. Attendees will have the chance to enjoy the latest playable content and plenty of activities for Overwatch^®, World of Warcraft^®: Battle for Azeroth^™, Heroes of the Storm^®, StarCraft^® II, Diablo^® III, and Hearthstone^® at the Blizzard booth in Hall 7 of the Koelnmesse.

A calendar of main stage activities can be viewed on the new “Blizzard at gamescom” website (http://gamescom.blizzard.com) and mobile application, available on the App Store and the Google Play Store. The site and app also feature a catalog of merchandise that can be purchased at the Blizzard store in Hall 5, including some brand-new and convention-exclusive items, and visitors can create a personal wishlist in advance to facilitate their shopping experience.

In addition, the Blizzard at gamescom app allows attendees at the event to take an Augmented Reality tour of the Blizzard booth for the chance to win prizes.

Those who can’t make it to gamescom 2018 in person can watch the daily Blizzard at gamescom show via the website starting at 1:00 a.m. AEST/3:00 a.m. NZST Thursday, 23 August, through Saturday, 25 August, and 12:00 a.m. AEST/2:00 a.m. NZST on Sunday, 26 August. Hosted by actor and presenter Naomi Kyle and well-known YouTuber Mark “Turps” Turpin, the show will include live-streamed and pre-recorded content, with spectators having the ability to change camera angles.

Visitors to the Blizzard booth at gamescom will be able to experience the following playable content and activities:

Overwatch

·         Blizzard is kicking off the first public day of gamescom 2018 with the Overwatch: New Content Reveal on the main stage starting at 11:15 a.m. CEST on Wednesday, 22 August. Followed by the premiere of a new Overwatchanimated short, which will also be available to view on YouTube.

·         German Overwatch World Cup 2018 team members will battle participants from the audience in Lúcioball showmatches live on stage on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday CEST for the Overwatch: Lúcioball Challenge.

• Overwatch heroes D.Va, Lúcio, and Brigitte will come to life as their voice actors perform on stage in the Overwatch: German Voice Actors Panel at 11:00 a.m. CEST on Friday, 24 August, followed by a signing session.
• Attendees at gamescom will be able to enjoy some fun in the sun at the Blizzard booth with Summer Games-themed activities, including custom surfboards, face painting, community Lúcioball tournaments, a working Pachimari claw machine, and more.

World of Warcraft

• World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth will be playable on 80 gaming stations at the Blizzard booth, where visitors can enjoy a solo experience with the Siege of Lordaeron in-game event and group up with friends at gamescom for the Island Expeditions feature.
• World of Warcraft cosplayers will show off creations inspired by the latest expansion on stage and via live stream during the Battle for Azeroth: Cosplay Showcase at 2:15 a.m. AEST/4:15 a.m NZST on Saturday, 25 August, followed by the reveal of the third and final episode in the Warbringers series of animated shorts—the tale of Azshara, Queen of the Naga.
• Top German guilds Aversion and Set Sail For Fail will face off in Island Expeditions live on stage during three rounds of the Battle for Azeroth: Island Expeditions Showcase on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday CEST.
• Visitors to the booth will be able to attend a live Darkmoon Faire, with activities like an airbrush makeup station, a fortune teller, and photo opportunities with the Recruit-a-Friend X-53 Touring Rocket mount, as well as renowned European community content creators streaming live.

Heroes of the Storm

• A new Prime Evil wreaks havoc on the Nexus—Mephisto, Diablo II’s Lord of Hatred and the latest Ranged Assassin in Heroes of the Storm, will be playable for the first time at gamescom. His spotlight video can be viewed here.
• The Overwatch-themed Hanamura map is new and improved with an emphasis on action-packed team fights, and it’s back in the game—now dubbed Hanamura Temple, it will be playable by the public for the first time at the Blizzard booth during the show.
• In Heroes of the Storm: Live Drawing with Carbot, Jonathan Burton from Carbot Animations will create his wacky rendition of Mephisto live on stage at 12:00 p.m. CEST on Thursday, 23 August.

StarCraft II

• It’s about time—Tychus Findlay, the latest Co-op Commander for StarCraft II, will be playable for the first time at the Blizzard booth. His spotlight video can be viewed here. On Wednesday, 22 August, and Thursday, 23 August CEST, StarCraft II lead co-op designer Kevin Dong will demonstrate the new commander live on stage with YouTubers Lowko and Winter in StarCraft: Commander Co-op.

• In StarCraft: One vs Many, YouTubers Lowko and Winter will take on any audience members who think they have what it takes to defeat these pros in a live one-versus-three battle on Saturday, 25 August, at 3:00 p.m. CEST.

Diablo III

• Visitors to the Blizzard booth can try their hand at slaying demons anytime, anywhere, with anyone—Diablo III will be playable on the Nintendo Switch^™ console for the first time at gamescom.
• On Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, a Blizzard artist will be creating some diabolical artwork live on stage in Diablo: Live Drawing with Chris Amaral.

Hearthstone

• In Hearthstone: Puzzle Time!, teams of gamescom audience members will race to complete challenges in Hearthstone’s new Puzzle Labs live on stage on Friday and Saturday at 12:15 p.m. CEST. These Solo Adventures for the game’s latest expansion, The Boomsday Project^™, will be released to the public 22 August AEST/NZST.

• Hearthstone players can enjoy a brand-new Fireside Brawl, available for the first time at gamescom.
• Visitors can also snap a photo with a giant game board replica from the Hearth and Home animated short, which premiered at gamescom 2017.

For Honor in game event Reigning Inferno has begun

For Honor in game event Reigning Inferno has begun

FOR HONOR^® SEASON VII: STORM AND FURY IN-GAME EVENT, REIGNING INFERNO, HAS BEGUN

Get For Honor for Free on Xbox One From Now Until September 15 with Games with Gold

SYDNEY, Australia — August 17, 2018 – Ubisoft has announced the For Honor^® Season VII: Storm and Fury in-game event, “Reigning Inferno” is available until August 30. Reigning Inferno will introduce players to a new exclusive game mode, Infernal Dominion, as well as exclusive rewards. From August 16 to September 15, players can also pick up For Honor on Xbox One with Games with Gold.

The fury of Mt. Ignis has changed the face of the battlefield, setting the environment ablaze and choking the sky with ash. In the limited-time Infernal Dominion mode, when zones are contested, a ring of fire ignites, forcing players to choose between a close-quarters fight to the death, or take massive burn damage as they risk crossing the flames. Reigning Inferno also includes limited-time lootable rewards, including new fire-themed weapons, Battle Outfits, Faction Ornaments, and a fiery new Mood Effect. All-new themed Mask Outfits, as well as a new Emote, will also be available during the Reigning Inferno event. During the second week of the event, players can pick up the Reigning Inferno Bundle, which contains the Mask Outfit, Emote, Ornament and Battle Outfit for their Hero.

For newcomers looking to test their might on the battlefield, For Honor will be part of Xbox Live’s Games with Gold and will be available for free to download for Xbox Live Gold members starting today, August 16 through September 15. For more information, check out xbox.com/en-AU/live/games-with-gold.

Following the introduction of Dedicated Servers and new Training Modes, For Honor will continue to grow with the release of the For Honor^® Marching Fire™ expansion on October 16, with the brand-new Wu Lin faction joining the fray, a 4v4 castle siege Breach mode, unlimited PvE content and more.

Developed by Ubisoft Montreal in collaboration with other Ubisoft studios,* For Honor offers an engaging campaign and thrilling multiplayer modes. Players embody warriors of the three Great Factions – the bold Knights, the brutal Vikings and the deadly Samurai – fighting to the death on intense and believable melee battlefields. The Art of Battle, the game’s innovative combat system that puts players in total control of their warriors, allows them to utilize the unique skills and combat style of each hero to vanquish all enemies who stand in their way.

For more information about For Honor, please visit forhonorgame.com and follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/ForHonorGame and on Twitter at twitter.com/ForHonorGame. For the latest about For Honor and other Ubisoft games, please visit news.ubisoft.com.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Blackout Beta dates announced!

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Blackout Beta dates announced!

Good morning,

Prepare accordingly… the Call of Duty™: Black Ops 4 Private Blackout Beta will begin on September 11 in NZ, first on PS4™ with other platforms to follow.

Watch the full teaser video here.

NBA 2K19 - Ben Simmons Trailer

NBA 2K19 - Ben Simmons Trailer

THEY WILL KNOW YOUR NAME

BEN SIMMONS TRAILER

Click the image below to see the trailer

Battlefield™ V Open Beta will begin on...

 Battlefield™ V Open Beta will begin on...

EA ANNOUNCES BATTLEFIELD V OPEN BETA WILL BEGIN SEPTEMBER 4 FOR EARLY ACCESS, SEPTEMBER 6 FOR ALL

In Partnership with NVIDIA, DICE Showcases Stunning Real-Time Ray Tracing in Battlefield V Powered by All-New GeForce RTXTM GPUs

SYDNEY, Australia - August 21, 2018 - This evening before gamescom DICE announced that the Battlefield™ V Open Beta will begin on September 4 for early access* and September 6 for all players on Origin™ for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation®4. The Open Beta will showcase the soon-to-be-iconic Rotterdam map on Conquest mode as well as the Arctic Fjord map on both Conquest and Grand Operations. Revealed just last week, the Rotterdam map will immerse players in a battle fought throughout the streets of Holland where the game’s dynamic physicality and destruction will be on full display. New to the Battlefield franchise, Grand Operations is a multiplayer experience across multiple maps and modes that that takes players through a powerful narrative journey inspired by historical events. All of this Open Beta content can be previewed by attendees of gamescom this week, where it will be playable in Hall 6 on the showfloor on PC and Xbox One X.

NBA 2K19 - MyTEAM

NBA 2K19 - MyTEAM

MyTEAM Trailer

Click the image below to see the trailer

New Character Creation trailer for Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition

New Character Creation trailer for Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition

New Character Creation trailer for Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition

One of the most expansive and immersive RPG experiences is just around the corner from launching and we’re excited to share a final glimpse of Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition ahead of the game’s release on August 31, 2018 for the PlayStation® 4 and Xbox One.

Today’s trailer features a look at the detailed character creation mechanics, where players can choose from six unique origin plots, as well as additional footage of crafting, conversation choices, and a taste of the game’s newly expanded dialogue – also featured in the game’s completely re-written third chapter.

Players also get a look at battle gameplay, including all new moves, spells, and environments to exploit against enemies’ weaknesses. In addition, the trailer also delivers a look at Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition’s split screen co-op and revamped Arena Mode which features solo gameplay, online multiplayer PVP, and pass-the-controller Hot Seat mode. Arena Mode also introduces 16 characters to the game, including some first-time playable characters such as Malady, Zandalor, and Radeka, each with their own unique set of skills and abilities.

Developed by Larian Studios, Divinity: Original Sin 2 for PC won PC Gamer’s 2017 Game of the Year award and a 2018 British Academy of Film and Television Arts award (BAFTA). Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition is a completely upgraded game, with thousands of tweaks and lifestyle improvements to create the ultimate console experience, including split-screen co-op and a completely rewritten third chapter, as well as beautiful 4K and HDR ready graphics.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition‘s Arena Mode aims to offer a slice of tactical turn-based combat outside of its core critically-acclaimed story experience and will be available to players when the game launches on August 31st!

Unsane: DVD Review

Unsane: DVD Review

Lo-fi and a bit grubby in parts, director Steven Soderbergh's Unsane continues both his obsession with psychological pieces and his apparent crusade against medicare in the USA.

The Crown's Claire Foy is Sawyer Valentini, a victim of a stalker in Boston and who's recently moved to Pennsylvania to start anew.
However, troubled by visions of her attacker, David Strine, she heads to Highland Creek Behavioural centre for help - and ends up inadvertently voluntarily checking in for an overnight stay.

Determined to get through the night, Valentini finds her incarceration extended when she lashes out at a guard, believing it to be her stalker.

But, is she crazy?

Unsane's claustrophobic feel contributes much to the overall execution, and anchored by Foy's strong turn, it feels like something likely to get under your skin.

However, the "shot on an iPhone" look and feel occasionally muddies the waters, and numbs the viewer to what's going on - certainly, in the final 15 minutes, Soderbergh seems determined to throw away the Hitchcockian paranoia to achieve nothing but horror shocks.
It's not that these are not effective in the final fun, but merely the number of them thrown at the viewer means each loses impact as the film reaches its hysterical finale.

Soderbergh can't resist throwing in some low level commentary over how medical companies treat facilities and appears to follow up his crusade from Side Effects; it's an interesting slant on it, and would have been all the better had it been fleshed out a little more and threaded a bit better within.

Ultimately, Unsane is anchored by Foy's impressive turn; part victim, part empowerment, she's all class and uncertainty as the pieces don't measure up and the puzzle doesn't quite come together for her.

Soderbergh's Unsane is yet again proof of a director trying to shake things up, and while it's effective in parts, the final execution and narrative decisions made place some of it squarely in capable B-movie territory. 

Win a copy of Samurai Jack The Complete Series

Win a copy of Samurai Jack The Complete Series

To celebrate the release of  Samurai Jack The Complete Series on home release, thanks to Madman Home Entertainment, you can win a copy.

About Samurai Jack

From Genndy Tartakovsky, creator of Dexter's Laboratory and Star Wars: Clone Wars, comes the tale of a young samurai cast far into the future by the evil shape-shifting wizard Aku. 

Join Samurai Jack on his quest to return to the past and undo the destruction that Aku has wrought upon the land. 

With award-winning artwork and intricate, action-packed plots, the many journeys of Samurai Jack are a must for any fan's collection.

To win all you have to do is email your details and the word SAMURAI to this address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com or CLICK HERE NOW!

Competition closes August 30th

Breath: Blu Ray Review

Breath: Blu Ray Review

A typical coming-of-age tale told in a slightly atypical fashion, former The Mentalist actor Simon Baker steps behind (and in front of) the camera for this adaptation of Tim Winton's book.

Centring on two kids, Pikelet and Loonie (Samson Coulter, sensitive and thoughtful and Ben Spence, instinctive and amusing) growing up in Western Australia in the 70s, Baker's Sando serves as mentor to the duo, helping them take in the waves.

But Sando keeps pushing them to go further, despite the condemnation of his other half Eva (Elizabeth Debicki, in waif and distant form) - however, Pikelet's reticence tests the boundaries of friendship with Loonie and his mentorship with Sando, as well as his own family unit.

Breath is an intriguing piece, simultaneously feeling distant in some of its narrative parts and yet frighteningly cohesive in others, and after reflection.

Perhaps consisting of one too many slow mo surfing or at water shots, Breath can be forgiven its indulgence in the waves of the ocean, thanks to some truly impressive water shots by cinematographer Rick Rifici. Pulsing waves are shot from below the surface, each one bubbling by and each showing the tumult in the relationships; the symbolism is not lost.

Elsewhere, some narrative threads feel a little unexplored; a potential school girlfriend for Pikelet is more dalliance and distraction and family tensions are hinted at rather than endorsed further.

But it's herein that lies the rub for Breath. On reflection after the lights have gone up, these relationships are explored in the way a teenager may approach them - distance helps evaluate what's transpired and why it's that way. Certainly, the relationship between Eva and Sando appears an odd one, a couple of lost souls who've found each other and are ebbing in and out like the flow of the ocean - there's much in Winton's prose that hints and there's much in Baker's restrained direction that offers deeper connections when probed.

In the relationship between the sensitive Pikelet and the gregarious Loonie, Coulter and Spence gel well, each pushing and pulling the tensions where necessary; feeling naturalistic in many ways, and evocative in others, this is a relationship that needs no deeper dissection; it breathes on its own and works well because of it.

"I've never seen men do something so beautiful, so pointless and so elegant" intones Pikelet in his later years - but in many ways, he could be hinting at the relationships that come from growing up; in caressing the tensions, and the triumphs of youth and friendships, Breath inhales deeply on its intensity and strips away its own profundity in places.

Breath is at once a complex beast at times, and yet one that feels familiar and simple, elegiacally executed - in many ways, it's one film that demands further introspection and re-examination. 

Avengers: Infinity War: Blu Ray Review

Avengers: Infinity War: Blu Ray Review

With a cast list as long as the page count of War and Peace, and capping a decade of Marvel films, it apparently has all led to this.

After numerous teases, various hints and gradual reveals, the Avengers, still ruptured after Civil War factions and broken by various continual conflicts, now face their greatest threat - Thanos (Josh Brolin).

A despot of intergalactic infamy, and emerging from the cosmic shadows, Thanos is collecting six Infinity Stones, aka the McGuffins of the franchise which have been glimpsed before.

With the Avengers and their various allies determined to stop Thanos and his army waging war on reality, it looks like this is the battle to end all battles - the fate of Earth, the Avengers collective and existence itself has never been more uncertain.

After countless build ups and the growing feeling that the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise has become stale with comedy elements undercutting any sense of drama, there's a real feeling that Avengers: Infinity War has to draw a line in the sand, and lay down some stakes for all involved.

For a large part, Avengers: Infinity War walks the tightrope of uncertainty for all the characters you've come to love (thanks to repeated over-exposure over the past decade) and imbues proceedings with an occasional sense of dread for some.

However, the writing keeps a lot of it emotionally grounded with themes of sacrifice and human selfishness and fallibility mingling and bubbling away throughout thanks to some briefly engaging interactions.

But it has to be said, that doesn't stop Avengers: Infinity War from becoming, at times, Avengers: Infinity Bore - nor does it feel like some of the inherent emotional heft falls flat.

With its straight-into-the-action-and-peril proceedings picking directly up from the end of Thor: Ragnarok and the Asgardian survivors facing off a ship from Thanos, the film decides to simply settle a lot of proceedings on the punch-fight-exposition-fight-exposition-fight method.

It's well executed as it bounces around the globe and into space, but there's definitely an over-riding feeling of weariness as the relentless CGI action kicks and smashes its way through (and certainly, a couple of scenes creak under the weight of being generated and rendered).

It tries to fights the curse of quite obvious writing in parts with lots of patently obvious signposting (all of which are too spoilery to discuss) and doesn't quite succeed at times, and there's definitely a feeling of set-up throughout.

As a sense of spectacle, Avengers: Infinity Wardoes deliver what the rabid Marvel fanboys want - a team up of epic proportions and scale and the Russo brothers deliver it mostly with considerable aplomb. Handling the unwieldly character roster with ease, most of the cast get a moment or some time in the spotlight (albeit with brevity and largely through a fight scene or two - and certainly Hulk's reunion with Black Widow is a massive disappointment), and it's a relative reward for the decade of set-up.

The Guardians provide the obligatory (and occasionally annoying) laughs as usual after entering to Rubberband Man, but teeter dangerously close to ripping the stakes' foundations from under proceedings with their flippancy. And disappointingly, Wakanda's involvement feels piecemeal, rote and written to provide a Phantom Menace fight redux sequence in the final act.

However, it's Brolin's motion capture Thanos who impresses most in Avengers: Infinity War.
Built up as a major threat in the preceding films, Thanos is a relatively complex and solid villain with the emotional depth and degrees of tragedy which give weight and heft to proceedings and parts of his motive. This is the villain the Marvel Cinematic Universe has needed and the threat that comes from him is as tangible as it is terrifying.

There is a feeling though throughout Avengers: Infinity War that death should have come knocking a bit more and certainly for some of the bigger names within the ensemble to truly hit the emotional mark, and while the oddly audacious but curiously emotion-free downbeat ending is to be lauded, it does reek of the usual tropes of the genre - ie fantasy deaths never really tend to stick, and slightly feels like a quick "this can be done over" in the next film - and certainly, there is a distinct lack of feeling permeating the screen.

Epic in popcorn entertainment and scale, but disappointingly limited in parts of its narrative, the at-times soapy and occasionally narratively uneven Avengers: Infinity War may feel like Marvel's trying to clear the table in lieu of the next phase, and setting up for the next one. (Though the time to be daring and dispatch with the post-credits sequence has been squandered with this one).

It possibly could have done with easing up a little here and there, and giving space to breathe, however, in terms of rewarding the fans of the franchise, Avengers: Infinity War certainly ups the game, even if it still doesn't really take the bold chances and daring gambles it could have easily afforded to after a decade and 18 films. 

The Darkest Minds: Film Review

The Darkest Minds: Film Review

Cast: Amandla Stenberg, Harris Dickinson, Skylan Brooks, Gwendoline Christie
Director: Jennifer Yuh Nelson

Take a pinch of Young Adult, a snip of The Host, a snifter of The Hunger Games, sprinkle liberally with a shoe-horned romance, mix in some young X-Men, drop in some elements of Avengers: Infinity War, top with a hint of everything-you've-seen-before-in-this-genre and you've got new film The Darkest Minds.

Set six years after children mysteriously started dying and survivors were considered worthy only of rounding up and putting in camps, The Darkest Minds stars Stenberg as Ruby, a teenager who's broken out of a camp, thanks to the help of a mysterious doctor (Mandy Moore).

But unsure whether to trust her, Ruby ends up on the run with conveniently-nearby-hidden-kids Zu (who can control electricity), Liam (telekinesis to go with wooden good looks) and brainy Chubs (looks like a Fresh Prince cum Dope extra).

Searching for a utopia for the children who survived, Ruby and the gang are hunted from all quarters.

Frustratingly, The Darkest Minds has some potential.

Complete with a soundtrack clearly aimed at its audience of YA readers, and adapted from a book by Alexandra Bracken, it knows what it wants to do - even if it feels like a patchwork mesh of every YA film you've ever seen. (Those for those exposed to it for the first time, it could become something,
thanks to its diverse leading cast).

But rushing through dramatic edges, shoehorning narrative elements in and giving them nary a second to breathe or dispatching them with a laissez-faire approach does little to build this first outing into any kind of franchise.

It's even worse with the cursory way threats are tossed aside, having built them up to be something substantial. Matters are not helped by an obvious villain and some truly wooden acting when emotional clashes come to the fore.

Perhaps the greatest crime of the YA mesh with X-Men is how the film doesn't really resolve itself, preferring to dangle narrative elements for potential sequels and leaving to a feeling of frustration in the film's denouement, where poignancy and emotional heft should have done the heavy lifting.

There's potential for darkness here, and perhaps the target teen audience would have appreciated some truth (shots of kids being executed are truly chilling) but rather than build dystopia, The Darkest Minds is content solely to play it too safe to be relevant or compelling.

Rampage: DVD Review

Rampage: DVD Review

There is only so far Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's charisma and endless muscles will go - and his latest flick, Rampage where he re-teams with San Andreas director Brad Peyton, sorely tests that.

Johnson plays Davis Okoye, a former species forces cum animal saviour who's now a primatologist.Bonded with a white silverback gorilla called George (and who gets a brief back story flashback later in the piece), Davis finds his world rocked when a science experiment from space causes his friend to change from gentle Curious George Harry and the Hendersons' beast to roaring destructive angry King Kong type.

Things are further complicated when the evil corporate bigwigs, who created the genetic editing process, want their DNA back and hatch a plot to get the creatures back to the city.

In a race against time to save his bud, and with a shady government agency on his heels, headed up by a hammier friendlier version of The Walking Dead's Negan himself Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and a former genetic scientist (007 star Naomie Harris) in tow, Davis has it all to do.

Based on the 1980s video game where monsters menaced the city and picked off human armies, Rampage shows clearly its video game edge - ie little to no cohesive plot, scrabbling from one section to the next without any care for logic or anything to trouble the brain.

The problem with Rampage is that if you're expecting dumb, you'll get it in spades.
If you want some god-awful dialogue thrown in there as well (Morgan's agent spouting the line that "When science shits the bed, I'm the one called in to change the sheets" being the worst), then you'll be happy.
And if you simply want to see a bit of rote CGI monster smash city / Kaiju fight, you'll be satiated, but not satisfied.

Rampage, despite Johnson's usual charisma as he plays Dr Doolittle and beast bestie, is just not enough of anything to warrant much more than dumb.

Characters are woefully underwritten (step forward, Naomie Harris' expositionary scientist) and the bad guys are laughably paper-thin, but Rampage tries to take itself too seriously, when really it should just embrace the stupidity of what its premise is. 

There are signs that it does this in the end, with Johnson rolling out his action jackson figure that we've all been expecting, but it comes too late in the day to really resonate.

WETA Digital's work with George is, as you'd expect from the Apes trilogy, stellar; but their work on the other creatures, while homage to the original villains of the game, stands out as looking a bit wobbly in places and less realistic than it could be.

Ultimately, and unfortunately, Rampage is not quite the popcorn thrill it should be - while it's at heart, a mash up of buddy movie and monster flick, the B-movie pretensions are what hold it back. It may be as dumb as a bag of spanners, but it's not smart enough to use that to its strength.

By refusing to embrace fully what it could be, Rampage goes from being a slam dunk to a film that shows that not everything Johnson touches can turn to gold, even if he coats it all in a few knowing nods here and there.