OJ Reviewing: The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists

Or is it the Band of Misfits?...

The latest addition to the Ardman collection has been made! Starring a number of voice actors who are very
well known - to people in the UK. It has the story-line of a not-so-brilliant- Pirate Captain trying to get gold so he can win a trophy. I thought the comedy in this film was very good and some things I didn't expect, the whole film was jam-packed with British Cultural references so the rest of the world won't have a clue whats going on. I really liked it all and the characters were funny. The way things were done were very interesting and the whole premise was enjoyable to watch. Not quite a cinema film but do watch it if you happen to see it on because it has a little bit for the older audience than just the kids.
  Oh yes, did you spot the Blue Peter badge?

OJ Reviewing: Doctor Who series 6

A mid-series break!.........................Oh goodie.

 Series 6 is all about one thing: RIVER SONG - that's right, the used-to-be-good mysterious person who knew the Doctor who has now become an annoying story arc that will confuse many and infuriate more. Which category am I? The former. The series was okay but every episode just had something linked to River's life, I liked her reference to Series 4 in the first episode but she did get a little annoying, another story arc (which still links to River) is the strange eye-patch woman in the first half and then the Doctor's death in the second. 'A Good Man Goes to War' is a really good episode and I love all the creatures and past characters but then what followed was just a complete episode about what the entire first half was all about - anyone who hadn't seen Doctor Who before would see that and not have clue whats going on and would probably never watch it again. So I prefered the first half to the last but even that was a bit choppy. Now for the finale, oh yes, 'The Wedding of River Song' was yet again another complex conundrum about a parallel universe that had been made in one second, it wasn't as bad as others but I still wasn't keen because that would mean the Teselecta can fake regeneration? Anyway the series very bad dip in Doctor Who and that's without the pointlessness of the Christmas special which is to horrid to review.

OJ Reviewing: Doctor Who series 5

Well thank you very much for the hits I had on my last review, I'm glad you liked it.

  Series five introduces Matt Smith and Karen Gillan as the new TARDIS crew. The first episode 'The Eleventh Hour' was very good and is considered the best of Smith's stories. It had the Doctor meet a little girl called Amelia and then the Doctor comes back years later making Amy Pond the only companion to know the Doctor since being a child. It was interesting with the story arc through the series and it was fun to see each crack. I liked many episodes in this series ans the monsters have been great along with quite a lot of emotion that is quite popular in DW since good ol' Series 4. 'The Pandorica Opens' is an absolute awesome episode with loads of aliens, references and even made the Cybermen scary again; the cliffhanger was great and you desperately wanted to see the next one which...... was a disappointment -  big one. You know I haven't liked the finale's of Doctor Who since series 2 but 'The Big Bang' has to be the ultimate worst, it felt like a quick getaway from the one before and I still don't get the whole "rebooting the universe" thing so if you could explain that to me I would be very thankful. So apart from the very last episode it was really great and the Christmas special was the first one that wasn't set on Earth and I didn't mind that too much but anyway, I like Matt Smith and he is my favourite incarnation.

OJ Reviewing: Doctor Who 2009 Specials

I'm reviewing 3 special episodes of Doctor Who leading up to David Tennants demise!......

Planet of the Dead

Doctor Who's first ever Easter special but you can't really tell it is apart from the chocolate egg at the start. I like this episode because it brings in UNIT a lot more than they have done, they brought back a character from series 4 and a new hilarious character played by the funny Lee Evans. The plot to this story was really good about wormholes and deserts and metal stingrays. The Tritovites were awesome to and was kinda sad they had to die (oh, erm, SPOILERS,). Now the companion stand-in is some snobby know-it-all who is a thief. Meh, not really sure about that and she got a bit annoying; there were some funny parts in it though and I love the concept of the stingrays so all round I'd say it's quite a good episode.

 

The Waters of Mars

Yes! One of the best ever episodes and my second most favourite of NuWho. It's on Mars, it has a robot, and water is the enemy! Such a cool premise, the plot is great and I love the humour, K-9 reference, Dalek tie-in and most defiantly: the villains. The water virus is awesome, the creatures with the cracked mouths are awesomely freaky and I love watching this episode.

The End of Time

Right at the end of the whole Tennant era it boils down to a bit of radiation - but for a really good cause because its what the Doctor does best, and that is sacrifice himself for others. The emotion was very good and I liked most of the plot and I'm glad they brought alien-looking aliens into it. The thing I don't like: Raising the Master, hmm, how? I think that is very impossible, wouldn't the Time Lords do that to everyone? Anyway, that's all I didn't like but I did think it was funny that it takes forever for him to die; it was great to see all the old companions and creatures and stuff and I imagine that his final scene made people cry. So a great episode and an awesome end to the tenth Doctor.

  Now for the era of the Smith!

OJ Reviewing: Doctor Who series 4

Ha Ha! The return of the Tate!

One of the best companions ever, Donna returns after being in a Christmas special and now she's a companion and she is absolutely great with David Tenneant. They delivered some real great lines and scenes. The episodes were really good and my 3rd most favourite NuWho episode is in this series; they had monsters never seen before and would never have even heard of, which were great. It brings in the mysterious River Song where she is not annoying and confusing and the Doctor witnesses her death. I like to call this series "Blast from the Past" because lots of past things come back such as: Donna, Rose Tyler, Ood, Martha Jones, UNIT, Sontarans, Davros, flashbacks to series 1! I really enjoyed the references to and it was building up really well and I loved The Stolen Earth and then......... I'm sorry, but, yes, I didn't like the ending; it was okay but I don't think that the meta-crisis Time Lord/Human hybrids was the best idea, it would probably be confusing to some but I guess they didn't want Rose to be lonely, so apart from that the series was great and I love the monsters and some scenes have really good emotion and awesome plots.

OJ Reviewing: Doctor Who series 3

Is it just me, or is this series a little darker?

 Hmmm. My line above is a reference to the plots, it just felt like it had a darker tone, like The Family of Blood and then the Dalek-Human Hybrid. I liked it all but it just felt they upped the target audience a little, which I enjoyed because it also made it that little more scary and fun. I watched Blink for the first time and no way could I sleep that night. Martha Jones is the companion for this series and I think how she and the Doctor met is really good, we learn a little more about the Doctor and the Time War and then as the series revolves around knowing a little more about the Doctor it turns out we've been missing the "Vote Saxon"s and now we have brought back The Master! I think this Master is much more like the one that met Paul McGann when he was the Eight Doctor than any in the classic series. I thought this one was a bit weird but creepy. The very end I didn't like very much, the whole plot was great but then the resolution was just that bit too unbelievable and wasn't quite explained I think. But the series as a whole was good it brought us the Weeping Angels which are awesome (until series 5, but that's another story...)

OJ Reviewing: Seizure

I've just finished it; sorry I had to review it in the middle of the "Doctor Who only for 7-Days".

  The middle book in the Kathy Reichs trilogy; it follows a few months after Virals and the gang need money bad - so, the obvious way to do it is go treasure hunting! The story may not be original but with this book I didn't mind, some things you felt like you've heard it all before as the complete first half feels like The Goonies, then moves to Indiana Jones for a bit and then there is quite a few surprises near the end; I wasn't expecting them but unlike the first book I did actually like these ones. It is a much bigger adventure and they explore a bit more of their powers and learn something new by the end. One antagonist from Virals even appears now has an ally which was interesting. One or two tiny bits were unrealistic but I liked the plot overall and after reading an excerpt from the last book, Code, I can't wait to read the finale!

OJ Reviewing: Doctor Who series 2

David Tennant begins!

  Series two changed the main actor completely! OK David Tennant is considered to be one of the best Doctor's in NuWho and sometimes in Who history. He was very good as then Doctor and I enjoyed his episodes; 2 of my favourite ever are Tennant eps. Series 2 made everything new and brought stranger aliens and even went into paranormal again which I really don't like, just stick with the aliens, its much better. They brought back the Cybermen from the classic series and made them in a parallel world, those story's were great and I loved them, series 2 also brought out one of the most disliked episodes ever: Love and Monsters; I myself don't see the problem, it can be nice to see a civilians point of view, my dad loves this episode because he loves ELO. The series finale is my favourite so far because it didn't have any confusing and contradicting endings, It was a brilliant end with a great battle and a sad loss. Defiantly the best ending.
  The Christmas special was also quite good starring the funny Cathrine Tate and a great story, the villain I wasn't so struck on but I liked it anyway. So I like the Tennant series and he had a range of companions including Martha Jones who appears next!

OJ Reviewing: Doctor Who series 1

Well finally! I'm doing the amazing and iconic show known as: Doctor Who!

 I'd never seen it before, I'd never heard of it; my dad probably said something about Jon Pertwee in the 70's, but when I watched a tiny episode called 'Rose', boy I knew I had something good. I'd never seen anything like this; what an awesome series. Now I realise this show is a legend I love every moment I watching it.
  Series 1 of this show introduces The Doctor played by Christopher Eccleston and he is a mysterious alien who stops invasions and is always there when bad things happen. As the series went on it had great episodes with everything you ever wanted in it. My favourite alien is in this series and my first ever Doctor I saw. The villains were great and the finale was........ Hmmm. Okay. Moving on. The Christmas special is my favourite Christmas special and I love the whole set up and everything. I can't wait to review the rest of series' and I hope you Whovians enjoy them!

OJ Reviewing: Primeval series 5

Finally, a T-Rex!

I thought that last series ended on a cliffhanger? Well it sure didn't seem that way. Episode 1 of this series was just an average episode, it had nothing to do what had happened. It carried on the story arc still but it was different to last series. The plots are getting very different to what they've done before and every episode is leading up to the final 2 which I think they could have made a little better. They did bring back a few old creatures and even a Tyrannosaurus Rex finally made an appearance. The finale was a little disappointing but there was a suspense scene that was pretty good. The last scene created a huge mystery and lots of questions which I don't at all think was needed and a 6th series is not looking very likely.

OJ Reviewing: Primeval series 4

Different is an understatement.

So, it was cancelled, for a whole year we had no Primeval. That is until until it came back but instead of being filmed in London it's now Ireland. It starts off a year since the epic ending of last series and there is a new team, a new base, and most defiantly a different atmosphere. The creatures have gotten a bit better and they've once again added a story arc but I liked this one, it all revolved around new leader Matt Anderson. His character is very mysterious and interesting. A few more characters are introduced too and the humour is still there. The story arc did keep me going though most of the time you felt it was really rubbish because it is completely different to the first 3. There are a lot of changes and you can't quite get used to them until the end and even then your not sure. So it was a bit of a let sown to the others but like all every series I have it on DVD and I intend to get each one that comes.

OJ Reviewing: The Karate Kid (1984)

Wax on the cheese!

 I sat down and watched this for the first time last night. I'd heard of it before and I've already seen the remake so I wanted to watch this expecting it to be some 80's rubbish but I was actually surprised. This movie is really good even now. The character of Daniel is great and you hate when he gets beat up and you want him to win and that makes you smile when you see Mr. Miyagi the old man beating up 4 teenagers in skeleton costumes. I like how it was done and it has some memorable scenes and good morals. So the plot was predictable and a few of the lines were a bit cheesy but its a fun movie to watch and when I see the 2010 remake again I will review that one.

OJ Reviewing: Primeval series 3

Bigger creatures, bigger losses and bigger DVD case!

Series 3 of the Primeval franchise is longer, scarier and downright awesome. A brilliant come back from the wasn't-needed story arc of series 2. A big twist in episode I was not expecting. The creatures really do get bigger and the future plays a big plot in this series. It's always fun to see the past creatures like Giganotosaurus and the Diictodon but when you see the future then you really want more. They introduce a new character called Danny Quinn who is awesome and he helps a lot. They did something they've never done before in Episode 5 which is really good and the they also had quite a creepy episode that you haven't quite seen since series 1; and that was great. This is my all time favourite series of Primeval, I love the new characters, huge events happen in the final episode which leaves you on an epic cliffhanger and along with all the others I own this on DVD too.

OJ Reviewing: Primeval series 2

A story arc if I ever saw one.

  This series follows the amazing cliffhanger left by series 1 and it did something I wasn't expecting at all; they introduce some new characters, a new base, and of course new creatures. I have to say this is the least favourite of the series and I think its because it feels like a series on its own, I was expecting more explanations for last series cliffhanger but it felt like it just deals with that scene as quick as it could and went back to fighting creatures, and this series doesn't end on a cliffhanger like all the others. It was all about conspiracy and having to power to rule everything so you didn't really learn anything new about the anomalies and it looked as if it told you what series 1's last episode was all about but it didn't. I still watch it, though, and have it on DVD along with the rest. So, not my favourite of the series but the creatures are much better, and they give another one from the future!

OJ Reviewing: War Horse

If Forrest Gump was a horse...

 I haven't read the book before watching this so I didn't quite know what the plot was apart from a horse in World War I. So I watched it and it wasn't quite as I had expected; from the trailer you expect this boy to lose his horse then it has both sides of their story but no, its all about the horse; I thought there would be a main human character but I don't even think Jeremy Irvine's character could be classed as one. And talking about that when watching this don't get attached to any characters because almost ever owner of the horse dies or it is taken off them, I was expecting more screen time of Tom Hiddleston at least and Bennedict Cumberbatch probably just scraped through as an extended cameo. The story, though, was great and I liked where it went and I will defiantly be reviewing the book as I think it is actually written from the horse's point of view.

OJ Reviewing: Primeval series 1

The creators of Walking With Dinosaurs goes drama!

  This is totally my kind of thing; I remember loving back in 2007 and I still do now. The story is that a team of people find 'anomalys' in time so things from the past and future come through. The design for the anomalies are very good; it's like broken glass floating in and out of each other becoming a portal. The CGI is fantastic and the creatures are superb. The characters are really good and you take a liking to them. The whole story of series 1 is mostly introducing the premise but with a little mystery in there. It's only 6 episodes which isn't very many for a TV Show but it's worth it; the very last episode is considered the best of all time and I agree. It doesn't really have any famous or well-known actors in it other than Ben Miller (who's character is great) that many British people may know as he is a comedian. I defiantly recommend it to sci-fi lovers and what I like the most about Primeval is that it doesn't use well known creatures. Actually in series 1 there are official dinosaurs. All the creatures occur before or after the dinosaur era ("after" meaning Dodos - yes, they can be pretty deadly). I have it on DVD keep watching it every now and again.

OJ Reviewing: John Carter

Disney? Come on!

  John Carter is the story of a man from the past who transported to Mars (yes, the planet) where people can breath but their density of their bones is different so the gravity doesn't effect them. Now the character of John was kind of cool, he was okay. The design for the aliens weren't too bad but it wasn't realistic; the plot is a little confusing and you don't quite know whats happening; there was a little humour but it was mostly sci-fi and special effects. The end was screaming for a sequel but I don't think it will happen at all. It didn't explain why they could breath or how they got there. If they do do a second one then I hope they expand on the history maybe. So the beginning was okay the middle was "meh" and the end was much better. Actually all the Earth scenes were the best. a disappointment for people who were looking forward to it I think. I don't particularly want to watch it again but that's just me.

OJ Reviewing: Jurassic Park Operation Genesis (PC)

Dinosaur Digs Upgraded!

One of my favourite films ever is Jurassic Park, its an awesome trilogy. I heard there was a game out but I never saw it in shops but then I found it on holiday and I have lots of fun playing. The graphics aren't bad at all and the different modes are really fun; the missions can be quite hard and going around Site B is extremely enjoyable. Normal game play is okay with you building that park and having to earn stars and money but when you just wanna built a great park without the waiting I use the cheat codes, because there are many and they do some pretty helpful things. Site B is where you can have a bunch of Dino's of your choice and can make as many of them as you can on a deserted island and watch them go about naturally (or put a T-Rex in a herd of Gallimimus). A really fun play and it's much better than Zoo Tycoon's Dinosaur Digs.

OJ Reviewing: The Forgotten Echo

The final book in the Remarkable Adventures of Tom Scatterhorn

  The biggest adventure yet. This book brings everything you ever learnt about The Museum's Secret and The Hidden World together and it makes sense! Thinks you didn't even think were important become linchpins! This novel references lots of things from the first two and it reveals many things and answers lots of questions that the last book should do. It felt a little more fantasy than sci-fi and historical than futuristic but its a very good adventure and absolutely non of it will make sense if you haven't read the first two. A brilliant finale to the Remarkable Adventures but I don't know if its just me there are 1 or 2 parts that confused me a little, Henry Chancellor is a great writer though and as I've said before his settings are outstanding. Now there the end; some people are going to really like it and then there are those who really don't, I personally didn't mind the ending, I quite liked it. But that's just me so what did you think? Was the ending a good finale or should never have been written? Comment below and tell me!

OJ Reviewing: The Hidden World

Great sequel; bigger, and badder.

 An awesome sequel to The Museum's Secret; it has been a year since Tom Scatterhorn's adventure and now he's back at the museum and there is a new exhibit that takes him into other worlds... I love the storyline of this book and some parts made me laugh and I like when books do that. There were even some creepy scenes that you didn't get in the first novel and they were good and then there a few mysteries and great descriptions of the creatures that you are really thankful don't exist. It is a much bigger adventure than the first which can sometimes take the realism away from it but I don't mind that because the whole plot is just great and it sucks you in all the way to the end. I still prefer The Museum's Secret but this is a Remarkable novel and I'm looking forward to future Henry Chancellor young adult novels.

OJ Reviewing: The Museum's Secret

The first book in The Remarkable Adventures of Tom Scatterhorn.

  I looked at the back of this book and the blurb didn't really quench my thirst or sound interesting but boy I couldn't have been more wrong. This plot is the most fantastic, bizarre and unpredictable story I've ever read. Tom Scatterhorn is a boy who goes to live at his Aunt and Uncle's museum and some strange things start to happen. The plot is told very well with a bit of suspense, humour and definitely mystery; even the first chapter your riping the book to get to the next page! I go along with Tom all the way and genuinely want to know what happens next. It's Henry Chancellor's first young adult book and he has done very well. One of my favourite books ever by far. I have to say as well that this I think is the most realistic (as it can be) out of the trilogy - I'm not saying the others are rubbish because they really aren't its just that I really like this one. The visuals that Chancellor gives you are outstanding and you can definitely feel the emotion and atmosphere. A very enjoyable read for sci-fi fans, mystery, adventure and just a tiny bit fantasy.

OJ Reviewing: Falling Skies season 2

W O W. Give me season 3 NOW!!!!

  I thought season 1 was brilliant and had an awesome concept and the cliffhanger left me wanting more, and boy did it give more. Season 2 was much more scary, more action packed the storyline going in places I never thought of. The characters progressed a lot and we learn a LOT more about the Skitters along with their overlords which are named in the last episode! I thoroughly enjoyed it all the way through and even gave a few surprises. And if you thought the cliffhanger of season 1 was out of this world (pun intended) then wait until you see this one! It expands the whole Falling Skies universe in a different way where Season 3 could go absolutely anywhere. Definitely looking forward to Season 3 and if you loved season 1 then you have to watch this! You may find out something frightful about the harness'...

OJ Reviewing: Falling Skies season 1

 My first TV Show review!

   Falling Skies season 1. This show is nothing like I've ever seen before. The story is that it opens up 6 months after an alien invasion on the entire planet; the aliens have destroyed all the military and all communications; it's like those films where you see an alien invasion come and start and everything and this series is like 6 months after that; I really liked that. The characters in this series are great, as are most Spielberg ones are, and you did or didn't want things to happen to them. Each episode always brings something new that you didn't know, and it brought up questions about the aliens that you never thought of watching the series. The CGI in this show is OK; I have seen better but this obviously isn't a film; the close ups though were good because they had animatronics and the design for "the Skitters" was quite interesting. The last ever episode left you on a huge cliffhanger and you really were hungry for Season 2. So if you like aliens and you love a bit of action along with mystery then you go and watch Falling Skies, because Spielberg doesn't do TV series often, but when he does they're pretty good.

OJ Reviewing: Real Steel

Who isn't a fan of Steven Spielberg?

  Well I remember ages ago I was watching random trailers on YouTube and I found a film title called Real Steel. The film trailer tells you it's about robots boxing and a little robot called Atom comes and is really good; well, that's sort of the back story, or the second plot if you will. The main storyline is about Hugh Jackman bonding and becoming friends with his son which makes that storyline predictable but you don't really care because it's set in the future and you've got awesome robots, deserted zoos and great tech! This movie couldn't really get mush better; I think Jackman's character is going to be one of my favourite characters of all time, the boy (Dakota Goyo) is a really good actor too and it's an all round fun movie to watch. The one thing I have to say though - which is very petty - is that it supposed to be Robots boxing each other but up until the last fight is looks more like wrestling; that's fine though and I have nothing else bad to say about the film. Go watch it if you love sci-fi and you don't feel like a sissy watching father/son bonding time.
  Spielberg rules!

OJ Reviewing: The A-Team

  In the original series no one died at all!

I watched possibly 5 or 10 episodes from the 80's series because I really did enjoy them. When I heard there was a new film being made i really didn't at all want to see it as I hate film reboots. But this film wasn't half bad - unless you class it as non-fiction. Yes, The A-Team does some pretty impossible stuff but you like it and it is fun to watch. I loved Mr. T as BA but I'm not as keen on 'Rampage' Jackson although he was funny. Liam Neeson is an awesome actor so I like every film in this and I liked his character. The storyline is an interesting one with a twist I didn't expect. It has nothing at all to do with the original series so I watch it as a film on  it's own. I would defiantly watch it again and recommend it but as I said there are a few unrealistic scenes. So how do you compare the 80's TV show to the 2010 film? Comment below!

OJ Reviewing: Puss In Boots

What is the plot to this movie?!

   I really didn't want to see this movie so I didn't see it at the cinema. So I've waited for the DVD and it wasn't even my choice to see it but I had nothing else to do at the time so I sat down and watched it.
  The beginning of this movie is an origin story and it becomes a story within a story for a short time and then you think you know how it's going to go and it changes so you have a new version in your mind and the it's not until the last 15 minuets you realise what it was; some movies I like that but this wasn't great; it confused me a lot and then some of it didn't make sense. So apart from the plot being choppy what I did like about this film is it wasn't all for kids; I saw a few scenes for the parents too, the humour was funny and the animation was very good. I was hoping for a Shrek reference but that never came but overall apart from how the plot went I did enjoy the character's and settings. Not at all like a Shrek movie and you could watch it on its own without seeing the entire Ogre franchise.

OJ Reviewing: Hot Wheels Track Attack (Wii)

Never played a Hot Wheels video game before...

  As a Hot Wheel collector I saw this game on eBay and thought it looked quite fun. I rarley played HW games on the compter so I decided to try this game for Nintendo Wii. I was kind of expecting it to be like Mario Kart but it is a little more realistic than that. Te steering was much harder and the graphics wern't the best but the backgrounds are fun to look at. on each level there is something that supposed to block your path (e.g. Shark, Turrantular, Robot) but they are easy to evade. Along the way you have to unlock the different Hot Wheel cars you can drive which are pretty easy apart from the last F1 car; you also have to collect blue "Tokens" which are the most fun part; the tokens give you power ups for design, speed or something else. I wouldn't recommend it for people who love racing and Wii games but it's fun to look at the cars if you are a Hot Wheel fan and collector.

OJ Reviewing: Battleship

Whats wrong with people? I don't follow their view.

  No matter what others say I actually enjoyed the film Battleship. Some say that it doesn't resemble the game at all but IT DOES! There is one scene where it's almost exactly the same! The humour was great and I loved the alien tech - especially those ball things with tails that just destroys everything. Okay, the character development wasn't great but it was a fun movie to watch; you wanted to know what happens next and enjoyed it. I wouldn't at all call it predictable and the special effects were awesome! The design for the aliens weren't the best but they explain why and the alien suits remind me a bit of an Iron Man/Transformer armour; and talking of Transformers, lots of people say it looks like Transformers, its a spin-off, a spoof and it didn't at all feel like a Transformers movie, maybe they borrowed a few sound effects but apart from that I can't relate anything to them.
  There IS a post-credit scene that supposed to set up a sequel but it doesn't look promising, but that's my view; comment because I wanna know how you see it.