MetroNews 8/11/2120 Entertainment Section
Aug 11, 2020 14:39:58 GMT -6
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'Exigence' Releases To Mixed Reception From Critics, Audiences
By Murasaki Shikibu
By Murasaki Shikibu
'Perfectly average' was the response most theatergoers offered to the MetroNews poll on the new survival-horror offering from Bitter Filmworks. Inc. Set in a post-apocalyptic future following a mutagenic virus descending to earth on an asteroid, the film focused on the conflict surrounding one of the last bastions of a 'pure' humanity- Cover City, nestled in the aptly named Cover Republic- and a rising organization of mutated humans who yet retained their sanity, and attempted to stand up against the mass genocide of their 'kind'- the ADVANCE Group. However, a confused plot and sub-par special effects left viewers with the feeling that they might've watched a good film- if it'd been allowed a few more months of production. Critics were not any kinder to the film; while nearly all gave credit to its ambitious idea to paint two sides of a post-human society in a morally gray light, the failure by the film to properly develop the mutant group ADVANCE left the Cover faction playing the simultaneous role of villain with no foil to seem the hero against; going from utterly annihilating a remote village of infected hermits, to randomly capturing and torturing scavengers to test them for infection, all without any truly heroic acts interspersed between. Meanwhile, ADVANCE simply appeared utterly schizophrenic; going from having complacent chats with scavengers on the roads before having to suddenly protect them from roaming, feral mutant beasts- to then gunning down 'normal' humans en mass for no well-defined reason five minutes later.
Despite the confused nature of the factions serving as the anchors to the plot, audiences and critics alike trended towards praise for the characters within them- though even that praise was two-sided. As one critic put in, "Though the leadership of the Republic in the film- made up of an aged General Cover, long past his days as a front-line warlord of tyranny; Minister Strongarm, a hulking politician serving as member of the Republic's political body; and Hot Coldman, a military intelligence officer with a pair of eyeglasses showy enough to match his intense monologues- are certainly effective at conveying their intents to see a pure humanity triumph over a mutated horde of feral, cannibalistic beasts. However, this gets lost in their utterly ridiculous character designs. General Cover, an eyepatched and grizzled old man, is contrasted against a muscle-bound man in a suit who barely fits through the blast doors of the missile base and a lanky, rattish spy who speaks in broken English for some absurd reason. This confusion is even visible in the performances of the soldier-actors; the man playing Scott Upchurch was visibly ready to walk out of the room at several points in his shared scenes with the trio, which were meant to be some of the most dramatic parts of the film as Cover's internal politics are revealed."
The smaller characters the film focused on were the ones who truly received unbridled praise. The local unit of the Republic, led by a freshly-minted commander in Lieutenant Upchurch, perfectly convey the desperation of an improvised militia suddenly thrust into the forefront of their nation's defense, when they had previously been serving at one of the safest back-line logistics forts. Even in battle, their desperation is palpable; they do not perform perfectly executed movements, and often find themselves on the brink of utter defeat. Characters are brought in and out of the spotlight with frequency, as their limbs are lost and their retirement forced by a relentless enemy. The ADVANCE group grunts were equally well-received, though for a different reason: going from joking, boisterous elites on patrol, they seamlessly slip into each engagement with a seriousness one would expect of a properly-trained operator group. Even as they were cut down one by one as the story shifted into a one-sided focus on Cover's victories, these faceless meatshields die with the dignity one would expect from a samurai ready to face their death or a soldier content that their job is finished.
Even the civilian characters had an allure to them that drew in the audience. Viewers lamented a lack of scenes with the charismatic churro vendor, and the excitement as they recounted the charismatic Albin Wes Kao and his ability to leave his opponents stunned simply by throwing his glasses at them was unrivaled. That isn't to say every character was implemented without a hitch, though. As one couple put it, "That Billy Harrington character was kind of interesting- seeing him take on all those opponents with nothing but blades and spears was sick! But the characters kept going out of their way to comment about how his abilities were totally natural, and nothing a regular human couldn't do. I don't know about you, but I don't think I can run thirty feet up a vertical wall, or cut tanks in half with a steel sword! We were waiting the whole time for there to be a reveal of him as a mutant, but it never came!"
While a poorly-structured plot, sub-par special effects, and mediocre music hold Exigence back from being a truly impressive offering among this year's films, it's still a perfectly watchable film if one enjoys character-driven dramas. Just don't expect to understand why the characters are in the situations they're in to deliver their breathtaking performances.
Despite the confused nature of the factions serving as the anchors to the plot, audiences and critics alike trended towards praise for the characters within them- though even that praise was two-sided. As one critic put in, "Though the leadership of the Republic in the film- made up of an aged General Cover, long past his days as a front-line warlord of tyranny; Minister Strongarm, a hulking politician serving as member of the Republic's political body; and Hot Coldman, a military intelligence officer with a pair of eyeglasses showy enough to match his intense monologues- are certainly effective at conveying their intents to see a pure humanity triumph over a mutated horde of feral, cannibalistic beasts. However, this gets lost in their utterly ridiculous character designs. General Cover, an eyepatched and grizzled old man, is contrasted against a muscle-bound man in a suit who barely fits through the blast doors of the missile base and a lanky, rattish spy who speaks in broken English for some absurd reason. This confusion is even visible in the performances of the soldier-actors; the man playing Scott Upchurch was visibly ready to walk out of the room at several points in his shared scenes with the trio, which were meant to be some of the most dramatic parts of the film as Cover's internal politics are revealed."
The smaller characters the film focused on were the ones who truly received unbridled praise. The local unit of the Republic, led by a freshly-minted commander in Lieutenant Upchurch, perfectly convey the desperation of an improvised militia suddenly thrust into the forefront of their nation's defense, when they had previously been serving at one of the safest back-line logistics forts. Even in battle, their desperation is palpable; they do not perform perfectly executed movements, and often find themselves on the brink of utter defeat. Characters are brought in and out of the spotlight with frequency, as their limbs are lost and their retirement forced by a relentless enemy. The ADVANCE group grunts were equally well-received, though for a different reason: going from joking, boisterous elites on patrol, they seamlessly slip into each engagement with a seriousness one would expect of a properly-trained operator group. Even as they were cut down one by one as the story shifted into a one-sided focus on Cover's victories, these faceless meatshields die with the dignity one would expect from a samurai ready to face their death or a soldier content that their job is finished.
Even the civilian characters had an allure to them that drew in the audience. Viewers lamented a lack of scenes with the charismatic churro vendor, and the excitement as they recounted the charismatic Albin Wes Kao and his ability to leave his opponents stunned simply by throwing his glasses at them was unrivaled. That isn't to say every character was implemented without a hitch, though. As one couple put it, "That Billy Harrington character was kind of interesting- seeing him take on all those opponents with nothing but blades and spears was sick! But the characters kept going out of their way to comment about how his abilities were totally natural, and nothing a regular human couldn't do. I don't know about you, but I don't think I can run thirty feet up a vertical wall, or cut tanks in half with a steel sword! We were waiting the whole time for there to be a reveal of him as a mutant, but it never came!"
While a poorly-structured plot, sub-par special effects, and mediocre music hold Exigence back from being a truly impressive offering among this year's films, it's still a perfectly watchable film if one enjoys character-driven dramas. Just don't expect to understand why the characters are in the situations they're in to deliver their breathtaking performances.
Aestira 2 Closed Alpha Rumors
By Murasaki Shikibu
By Murasaki Shikibu
In good news to VRMMORPG players everywhere, rumors have begun circulating that the recently formed Emslie Innovators is developing a sequel to the vastly popular, now-defunct Aestira Online. Though the company has been close-lipped about the process so far, insider sources have stated that the organization intends to utilize the highly anticipated sequel to fund its operations into the future. However, no release date to the public has been announced or even suggested at, likely due to an overhaul of the game's unique custom combat system.
