Where Does The Legend of Lara Croft Fit In if “Tomb Raider” is Just a Title?

Although the wait to see The Legend of Lara Croft in action in her classic form was long, the buildup to that moment where she finds herself using two guns (than bows and arrows) is well worth it.

The Legend of Lara Croft Promotional PosterAlthough I have not played the latest video games in the Tomb Raider series, the animated adaptation certainly helps get me up to speed with how this IP has changed over time. I find that The Legend of Lara Croft is good at rekindling my interest and although part of the backstory (she originally had daddy issues) has changed, there’s just enough of what made those classic games memorable surface once again. And I’m not talking about her sex appeal. When I love Indiana Jones style adventures, the concern here is if it’s a modern style tale or something pulpy?

Although Crystal Dynamics’ take on this IP doesn’t have the same oomph as the past games from Edios/ Square*Enix, at least there are other publishers who can use their creative license to expand the universe, and say what is truly inspired from legends and lore versus beating other tomb raiders to the treasure. While the emphasis on the folklore is lighter in these later products, I’m thankful the animated take doesn’t forget about what made this series appealing. Although those elements didn’t get heavy until the finale, the wait is at least worthwhile. Continue reading “Where Does The Legend of Lara Croft Fit In if “Tomb Raider” is Just a Title?”

Just How Much Crazier Can Hunt’s Life Get after Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One?

Just what kind of crazy stunt we’ll see after Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One will require fans to wait more than a year for.

Mission Impossible Dead Reckoining Part One Movie PosterSpoiler Alert

After witnessing just how much crazier the stunts have become throughout the Mission Impossible movies, Dead Reckoning Part One is the most insane. As for whether that motorcycle stunt can be surpassed in part two, I have a prediction. There will be some nut bar oceanic test for Ethan Hunt to escape from, and he better be Harry Houdini. It’s easy to surmise that will happen in the next film when considering how part one begins.

What I enjoyed from this film concerns how the stakes get raised. This unit keeps on finding themselves in missions a single human can’t take on alone. In this series, Hunt’s team has each other’s back. And it’s great the stories never deviate from this fact. Also, from simple espionage narratives to global threats, I believe this latest is taking cues from past films. From Ghost Protocol to the team creating a Rogue Nation of their own, the latest motion picture has a nautical title that not everyone is talking about.

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[Seattle, WA] Sandy’s ACE Comic Con Journal — Was it … ?

ACE Comic Con

By Sandy Sheehan

It seemed like forever for ACE Comic Con Seattle to arrive, but arrive it did. I drove from Spokane, Washington to this city on Friday morning, unaware that my VIP seat assignment was determined by my check-in time rather than by when I purchased the package or stood in line before the panel. It started on Thursday. Needless to say, I was much further back than I thought. VIP seating was also only good for two of the Marvel Entertainment panels.

I am no stranger to conventions and have been to a variety, from Creation Conventions (Star Trek: The Next Generation and more recently Supernatural), city-specific shows such as Mid South Con in Memphis (where I used to live) and more recently Lilac City Comicon (Spokane) and Anglicon (Seattle). I even went to things that would be hard pressed to be called conventions, such as answering phones for the Arkansas PBS station where Jon Pertwee (3rd Doctor from Doctor Who) spoke to the volunteers as well as Paul Darrow (Blake’s 7). ACE was by far the largest one I have attended.

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Marvel’s Agent Carter! A Mid-Season Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

CA-TFA_PeggyCarter

Agent Carter is proving to be the better of the two Marvel Entertainment products that’s on television. Not only does the show have a very strong and beautiful lead but also it is set in the 1940s, an era ripe for subterfuge and conspiracy. When World War II hit, just how any nations can survive meant being on top of technology. That is, whoever can invent the next modern marvel would hold the fate of the Earth in their hands. In Captain America, the First Avenger, that meant creating the super soldier.

In the television series, a secret group named Leviathan takes an interest in Howard Stark’s (Dominic Cooper) inventions. The U.S. Government fears that he may be selling out and is investigating him. But before he is scheduled to appear at another senate hearing, he disappears. British agent Peggy Carter is back at work with the Strategic Scientific Reserve following the events from the movie and before she knows it, Stark recruits her to help clear his name. He thinks that he’s being corralled and refuses to bow to pressure. Sadly that makes him a man on the run and any return appearances will be limited.

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