theflemingzoo-15-36298

I can't believe all the negative reviews for this movie. I loved it.

The plot might have been a bit weak but who cares? It was pure escapism. A real thrill ride.

I watched it on Amazon. I am easily bored and usually end up skipping through the dull bits in films. I was never tempted on this one.

In fact, I think I might watch it again tonight...

I had avoided this film for years. The title made it sound corny. Eventually, I was bored enough to watch it. I am so glad I did. It was one of the most entertaining films I have seen in a while. It starts off as a gritty Western. In fact, I was enjoying it so much that I was quite happy for it to stay as a conventional Western. But when the aliens appear, it winds up a notch into a rip-roaring adventure. The characters have a great time fighting vicious alien monsters. There is a nice coating of subtle (and not so subtle) black humour. Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford give excellent performances as the archetypal anti-hero and tough cattle baron. Forget any misgivings you have about it. If you like escapist adventures, you will love it!

Mass Effect is my favourite game series. I have invested 100's of hours on it over the last few years. I couldn't wait to play ME Andromeda!

Unfortunately, I suppose ME Andromeda was in a no-win situation, really. If it had been similar to ME2 and ME3 it would have been criticised for being unoriginal. It chose a different path, so it gets criticised for not being a traditional ME game.

When starting a sequel to well-loved games, it always feels a bit alien. You have new maps that are unfamiliar. In this case, you have to get to know a whole new cast. I felt uncomfortable with it when I first played. Shepard had been an experienced warrior. Ryder feels 10 years younger with little experience.

The first missions are nothing special. There is far too much exploring for my tastes. I hate labyrinths! I admit that if it hadn't been a ME game, I might have given up.

I am so glad I persevered, I concentrated on the "Priority Missions" and eventually, the game opened up. I was rewarded with ME-style action by the bucket load. By then, I had started to like the characters. Some of them were very humorous together as they chatted in the Nomad.

As usual, you start off with so-so guns. It's hard to improve them at first. There is nothing much to be found. The shops don't have much that is exiting. However, once you start to unlock "AVP" (groups of people in Cryo bays), you will earn perks. "Reconnaissance" marks caches on the maps that contain useful salvage with a good chance of nice weapons. You can also unlock better stock at the shops.

Of course, as is popular these days, you can now craft weapons and armour. Once you gather enough research points and raw materials, you can create custom weapons and armour which include augmentations. If you can save up your points, you can make some very juicy items!

You are no longer tied to a class throughout the game. You can mix and match combat, biotic and tech skills. You can have three at a time and group them into for favourite combinations that you can swap on the fly.

As usual, you can customise you character at the beginning of the game. You can tinker around and make him/her look a bit older, to give them more weight, if you so wish.

Of course, as always, once you have completed the priority missions, you can import your character, complete with levels, perks and equipment to the start of a new game. As a real bonus, you don't have to stick to the appearance/sex of the old character. As I wrote earlier, you are not tied to one class. In effect, you only need start a game at Level 1 once!

I rushed through my first play through, sticking to priority ops. On subsequent play throughs, I spread myself out a bit. The allies and relationship missions were mostly lots of fun. Unlike ME2, the loyalty missions weren't necessarily obvious.

It seems a little cheap to have all the Asari with the same basic face but it really doesn't spoil the game. Don't worry about facial animations. They have been mostly fixed but they were hardly game breaking in the first place. On the other hand, if you change the appearance of Ryder, his father's face changes too! Additionally, the scenery is gorgeous!

I started off being quite disappointed. However, I now love it as much as the previous games. I have over 100 hours on it and it still feels fresh.

I admit I thought this film would be corny. The only reason I went to watch it was because my son and his friends wanted to see it. I had low expectations.

However, I was totally wrong. It's a very funny film! How the actors completed their scenes without giggling, I don't know.

My group ranged from age 10 to age 65. All of us were laughing out loud. The banter between characters was brilliantly timed.

The special effects were bright and cheerful. You do not have to know anything about arcade video games to enjoy them.

It's well worth going to watch. A far better summer film than the much hyped Inside-Out.

I wasn't sure what to expect at the theatre. I wasn't a great fan of Anjelina Jolie. Most of the audience were young girls. I was sitting there with my son and wondering if he would have to keep quiet about watching it when he returned to school! However, my worries were quickly dispelled.It was a story for all ages and sexes. There was action, romance, humour. There was also pathos (I admit to a rare tear in my eye at one point). I can never watch the original again without shouting "That's not how it happened!" It looked fantastic. The magical world looked magical. The human castle looked forbidding.

Anjelina Jolie was fantastic. I think I'm a fan now! She is one of the few that can do a good English accent. It was funny that all the humans had Scottish accents! Go and see it!