Sunswipe Reviews

Batman Begins (2005 Video Game)

Not very good.

[5/10 · 15 July 2007]

I think that the movie this game is based on is fantastic. Sadly, the game is nowhere near as good. The highlights are that it has most of the movie cast providing voices for the game characters, and the two Batmobile driving sections are pretty good.

What sucks is the total lack of choice given to you. There is only ever one way to proceed. You get no choice in how to get somewhere, or where to go. For example, you can only attach your grapple to certain points. This linearity takes a lot of fun out of the game. You have rather anaemic punch ups with a couple of villains, then find the next door to walk through. Dull.

Basically, this game is only recommended if you rent it for a weekend, or get it VERY cheap. I got my copy for £5, and that was a little more than I think it's worth. There's simply no reason to replay the game once you've finished it.

The Matrix Reloaded (2003)

The Wachowski brothers make a compelling case for never letting either of them near a camera again

[1/10 · 7 June 2005]

This film manages an incredible task: it both sucks and blows. It manages to contain plot holes that even contradict the first film, which was hardly an intellectual masterpiece. Example: the Agents in this film are supposedly "upgrades," compared to the ones in "The Matrix." And yet Morpheus, who got his butt kicked by an Agent in about ten seconds last time, manages to fight an Upgrade for about ten minutes. Something does not add up.

The acting of Keanu "Woh!" Reeve is up to its usual standard, sadly. And Morpheus' "morale-boosting" speech had the effect of making me think the machines couldn't wipe humanity out fast enough.

Overall, if you liked "The Matrix," don't watch this, watch "Equilibrium." If you hated "The Matrix," don't watch this, watch "Equilibrium."

The Final Option (1982)

Lewis Collins makes us realise he would have been a cracking Bond

[8/10 · 7 June 2005]

The negative feedback this film has received is, frankly, unwarranted. In a world where "The Matrix" can be regarded as clever, this film must therefore be superb. It features the great Lewis Collins as a thorough-going bas**rd who just happens to be the good guy. His infiltration of a terrorist group dedicated to nuclear disarmament leads to a climactic gun battle/rescue clearly inspired by the Iranian Embassy Siege. There are few movies I can think of that are cover similar ground, and S.W.A.T. cannot compare to this much-maligned masterpiece. Keep Colin Farrell and Samuel L. Jackson poncing about with ill-chosen guns, I'll stick with Collins and his MAC10, thank you.