h1

User-created greatness

August 10, 2010

Since it’s been a while, I figured it was time for an editorial. I’ve been thinking about writing on this subject a long time, so here goes.

For me, user-created content is one of the best things available on the internet. Blogs, fansites, forums and what have you. Personal insights into matters, thoughts and opinions – such as this one – on pretty much any subject you care to name. And as a reader you can comment, reply, take part in the discussion and be a part of a community. There are professionals, amateurs, dabblers, hobbyists, first-timers, last-timers, veterans, rookies…all sorts with different views and different things they bring to the table.

Most of my time (if you don’t include the endless idling on Facebook) on the internet is spent reading blogs and forums, learning new stuff, appreciating and commenting on the work of others, and of course subjecting my own output to similar scrutiny by other users. I can’t even begin to tell how much I’ve gleaned from all this. Countless links and discussions, an endless supply of information both useful and useless, both silly and serious.

As a blogger I’m trying my best to contribute. I aim to provide content that I would enjoy myself: reviews, inspiration, news and sometimes just a few bits and pieces to let people know that there’s an actual person writing this stuff.

Blogging is great fun. You get to give something to the mostly faceless mass of the community/communities you’re part of. The sheer thought of actually writing something interesting is probably what most bloggers dream of. For me, the best things I can hear are comments that tell me that my writings have been of use. Maybe someone has bought a book or seen a movie that I reviewed or used my painting tutorials. There are few things in the world that can beat that feeling of being useful. Isn’t that what most people want to feel like?

That brings me smoothly to commenting. People, if you read a blog post that you like, comment! You’ll be pretty much guaranteed to make a blogger’s day, especially if it’s a small blog. Who knows, your comment might be the one to save a blog sliding into oblivion or the one boosting a blogger to strive for even bigger and better things. The more I’ve blogged (this is post #82 since May 2009) the more I’ve learned to respect the work of others. Nowadays if I enjoy something that I see, I’m more than happy to let the creator know it. Every comment I receive on this site still makes me smile (apart from some crazy Swede calling me retarded, and even that makes me smile a bit nowadays), and there are some frequent commenters that I’m already viewing as friends even if I’ve never met them. If I’m not all wrong, I think I’ve replied to every single comment I’ve received.

It’s typical in posts like these to offer some tips on blogging, so who am I to differ. Here are mine:

If you are a blogger

  • Write when you feel like it. Some people will disagree with me on this, as they like doing their postings on a schedule. If you can do that, even better! My blogging depends a lot on my moods. I might write a blog once every three weeks, or three blogs in a week. Better to make a post you like writing, than force yourself to create something mediocre. Be mindful, though. The longer the hiatus, the harder it is to start again.
  • Elaborate. Instead of saying “I liked it”, tell the readers why. It’s not that much more work, but it’s that much more useful.
  • Don’t be afraid to provoke. It’s your blog, it’s your opinions. Don’t be an ass, though.
  • Reply when people comment, it’s polite.
  • Check your spelling. Noeone liks torreed txty writtn    liek dis evn IF IT contins an lut off inromation.
  • Check your layout. Two pages of text with no paragraph breaksislikereadingasentencewithnospacesorpunctuation Alltheinformationistherebutitsalotofworktowadethroughit. Pictures are fine too, as are appropriate uses of formatting. Don’t go overboard.
  • Don’t be afraid to advertise your blog a bit. Be careful though, it’s a thin line between providing people with news of interesting posts and spamming every message board every time you write something. Deliver the news to people you think might reasonably be interested. Surprisingly often people will thank you for pointing them to a new source of information.
  • Maybe most importantly: Write stuff that you would like to read. Chances are that other people will like it, too.

If you’re a reader

  • Comment, comment, comment. Bloggers want and need to know that what they write is read.
  • If you find a blog you like, subscribe to it. An RSS or Atom feed is a nifty internet thingy, that notifies you when a blog is updated. It saves you from constantly checking up on a blog and keeps you from forgetting that one blog where there was an interesting post a month back. Google Reader is a very easy online choice. A lot of blogs also provide you with email updates. It couldn’t be easier: just enter your email and the blog will send you a message whenever there’s something new available. Some blogs – this one for example – also provide a Facebook link. Just become a fan and you’re notified of updates in your feed.
  • Follow links in blogs, you might often stumble upon something you might not see otherwise. Like this video of an eldritch thunderstorm in Finland.
  • Check out the blogrolls on blogs. Bloggers will often point you in the direction of blogs and sites they like themselves. I recommend everything under the Other people header, there on the right.

That’s about it. Now go do your part.

Posted in Editorial | 16 Comments »

h1

Beggars can’t be choosers

August 9, 2010

Having all but finished my auto loader, I was given a great tip by fellow blogger sho3box to add in small detail such as unit insignia, warning signs etc. The main problem is that my freehand skills really aren’t up to par, so I figured that a few waterslide transfers might do the trick.

Being the cheap(ish) hobbyist that I am, the thought of picking up a sheet of transfers for a few EUR seems a bit silly, knowing that I need maybe three or four of the designs – a few letters and such – and I probably won’t find what I need on a single sheet. I could buy some decal paper for custom transfers, but then I’d need a new cartridge for my inkjet printer only for that task, and that’d set me back 25 EUR or so.

So, without further ado this is a call to the readers of Dawn of the Lead! If you have extra transfers knocking around, I’ll be glad to take them off your hands. Maybe you’ve used the three or four designs you need, and that massive credit card sized sheet of paper is taking up valuable space. Maybe you were given them as a gift, and they don’t really go with your decor. Maybe you just hate transfers.

Anything and everything is welcome, I’m sure I can find a nice combination. Imperial Guard, Space Marines, WW2 aircraft, Battletech clan markings…it’s all good!

I’ll be happy to pay postage, and all donors will be handsomely (ho-hum) rewarded in the future. Replies in the comments section, or through email.

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments »

h1

Heavy metal

August 5, 2010

Here’s the second to last mini of my Aliens Space Hulk, the Prince August autoloader that will replace the lightning claw-armed  terminator. I like how it looks, but am a bit miffed that the feet are not in contact with the loader. I think I will add some greenstuff straps to get a nicer fit and look.

The colour scheme was a conscious departure from the bright yellow of the powerloader in Aliens. I figured that the Colonial Marines have military versions as well, seeing a powerloader deployed in the front lines to combat a xenomorph infestation. The green colour of the loader and the CM BDU of the pilot also help tie the model in with my Marines. I wanted the model to have a weathered look, with chipped paint and some rust, as if it had seen a lot of action. The challenge was not to go overboard and have the loader look like something ready for a scrapyard, and I’m quite pleased with the way it turned out.

Click for a larger version

With this baby down, I only need to paint the combat synthetic and that’s it. Well ok, maybe a few em4 sentry guns to replace the Librarian’s Force Barrier counters, and a bigger one from Antenociti to replace the Psychic Storm template, and I’m all set.

Posted in Miniatures, Sci-Fi | Tagged , | 7 Comments »

h1

When werewolves attack

August 4, 2010

I tried out WHFB’s 8th edition a few days ago, and it left me wanting to play a decent miniature game instead. With this in mind and my gaming boards still in place, I decided to give Fear and Faith a real test drive. I had tried the rules out a bit before, but wasn’t really satisfied with them back then, although they seemed to have potential. I remember thinking that F&F might work a lot better as a scenario-based game, which it does. Not very surprising, seeing as that’s how it’s marketed…

What to game then? I still had my WHFB Empire minis on the table, so I decided to go for some traditional horror: a werewolf terrorizing a small village. What started out as one scenario turned into a three-game mini campaign. A friend came over the play and the game was on. Since I game fairly rarely, I figured it would be fun to jot down what happened.

Scenario #1 – Werewolves in the mist

The objective in the first scenario was for the werewolf to enter the village, capture the priest and take him back to the mystical, ancient ruins to transform into another werewolf. The villagers’ objective was to get inside a big stone tower and hide there. The priest could only start moving once contact with the werewolf was made.

As this was the first game we played, we took some time to get the feel of the rules, but got the game rolling nicely. The weather rolls brought a thick fog upon the landscape, reducing visibility to almost zero. As a wolf howled in the distance, the villagers started to get nervous, many of them shuffling towards the safety of the tower. Many villagers remained fairly ignorant, though, especially a few workers in a nearby orchard who kept on picking fruit for the whole scenario.

The peaceful village

As the werewolf neared the village, the village gatekeeper’s dog darted off into the fog, barking. The gatekeeper shuffled behind him, but quickly lost sight of his faithful hound in the thick fog. Meanwhile, the rapidly moving werewolf managed to evade the dog.

Almost out of nowhere, the werewolf struck. It leapt over the low village wall, and chased one of the villagers – delirious with fear – towards the tower, before turning towards the surprised priest. The villagers darted this way and that, while the priest desperately tried to evade the huge monster. It was to no avail, and the werewolf swatted him down, picked him up and started to move out of the village.

The villagers seek shelter

The villagers were no warriors, most still trying to get to the safety of the tower or milling about aimlessly. Hearing that something was wrong at the village, the gatekeeper and his dog returned to the gate to face the beast. In a heroic moment, one of the villagers ran up and grabbed the priest’s cassock, pulling with all his strength. This surprised the werewolf completely, and it stumbled to the ground, dropping the priest. The stunned priest barely got to his feet however, when the werewolf struck him again. The priest again falling unconscious, the werewolf tore the poor heroic villager to ribbons and headed for the gate, only to find itself staring in the eyes of the gatekeeper’s watchdog. Unfortunately for the dog it was a no-contest, and the werewolf ripped the dog apart in short order, causing the gatekeeper not only to flee, but also fall into a deep gloom and lose all heart as his faithful companion was killed.

With the gatekeeper and his dog out of the way, there really was no-one left to stop the attacker, and the werewolf loped into the woods carrying the captured priest.

The werewolf makes off carrying the priest

Scenario #2 – To the rescue!

The villagers certainly couldn’t leave their spiritual shepherd in the clutches of an ungodly beast. A team of five hunters – sadly not present at the raid – went after the creature to try and bring back the priest. The objective for the hunters was simply to bring the priest back inside the village walls, while the werewolf tried to stop them.

Bad luck was with the hunters from the beginning. Not only was it raining (which was impairing their vision and wetting their bowstrings), but they had barely reached the priest who was lying unconscious in an old stone circle, when night fell and a bloodcurdling howl sounded from the ruins close by. Very close by.

The werewolf charged the first hunter to reach the priest, who hastily scampered to safety behind the large standing stones. Another hunter loosed an arrow which whistled harmlessly past the werewolf. One of the hunters bravely faced the beast, which charged at him full tilt. Another hunter joined the fray, and the woodsmen managed to overpower the beast for a moment, bringing it down to the ground. Lacking silver weapons, however, this was the best they could do, so the other hunter broke off to help with the priest.

In the meantime one of the hunters picked up the priest and started carrying him to safety. The two remaining hunters watched on from further away, unsure of what to do.

The werewolf recovered quickly in the combat, and summarily tore apart the hunter pestering him, causing the two others helping the priest to cower in fear. In fact, one of the two stumbled away in his panic and fell to the wet forest floor. A third hunter witnessing the slaying went into shock. He ran away for a bit and then simply froze in place, not daring to move.

Almost leisurely the werewolf went after the fallen hunter, while the other one composed himself and resumed dragging the priest to safety. The two hunters further away finally sprang into action, with one of them making a quick sprint towards his friend carrying the priest and loosing an arrow at the beast. His aim was off, though, and the arrow hit a tree trunk far beyond the wolf. The fallen hunter scrambled to his feet, just in time to see the werewolf’s claws rend him to pieces. Luckily the other hunters weren’t close enough to see the disturbing sight.

With two hunters down, the werewolf ignored the priest and his helpers for the time being, and hungrily tore into the shocked hunter, who simply stared as the slavering beast charged him. As the two remaining hunters carried the priest through a small thicket of trees, they heard another horrible scream behind them.

Of course, the werewolf wasn’t too far behind, and charged one of the hunters, chasing him off the priest. As the remaining rescuer shuffled on with the priest, his friend threw himself between them and the beast, buying some time before he met the same fate as all the other hunters attacked by the werewolf.

His sacrifice was not in vain, though, since what followed was an amazingly unfair running contest between the hunter carrying a priest and the slavering werewolf. What was even more amazing was the fact that the hunter won, due to some crazy dicerolling. The werewolf only inches away (both rules and story wise), the tired hunted cleared the village wall and the villagers chased off the beast with burning brands, pitchforks and other assorted mob tools. The priest was safe and there wouldn’t be another werewolf joining the party.

Against all odds the hunter and the priest make it back!

Scenario #3 – Official response

The beleaguered villagers sent a messenger to their king, complaining about a vicious beast causing all sorts of havoc. The king responded by sending his royal hunters: the hunt master with silver bullets, two of his apprentices with muskets and a mounted pistolier. They were to bring the beast down and bring peace to the land. The scenario was simple: the werewolf tried to get from one board edge to the opposite one, while the hunters tried to kill it.

Again luck was with the werewolf. Night fell quickly, hampering vision. What followed was a fairly lacklustre effort by the celebrated royal hunters, as their shots flew wide in the dark forest. The werewolf was simply too fast for even the mounted pistolier to catch, and even the hunt master with his silver bullets failed to hit his target. In the end the werewolf escaped all too easily, chased by the shots of the hunters.

The werewolf evades his hunters

All in all a victory for everyone concerned, as the werewolf escaped with his life, the villagers and their priest were left to live in peace and the hunters could report to the king that the beast had been driven away.

And that’s it, our mini-campaign finished. My impressions of the games were excellent. Fear and Faith works very well as a scenario-based game, and the game mechanic is very light and speedy.

What was most important for me in this game was the story. Look at this post. Then back at this one. Then at that post again. Then back at this one. (Sorry. Too much of this.) You should see what I’m talking about. We didn’t really game to win – even if that was an aspect of the game as well – but mainly to have a fun game. We managed to tell a story and to turn a load of old terrain and a bunch of miniatures into something entirely different. There were almost no rules arguments, we simply went with what seemed suitable for the scenario and the situation at hand. Rules were bent, adapted and made up to suit the scenarios. The most important things, fun and flavour were never left behind.

What more can I say? This, to me, was perfect miniature gaming.

Posted in Miniatures, Vampires/Werewolves | Tagged | 8 Comments »

h1

Five by five

July 23, 2010

My Space Hulk Colonial Marines are nearing completion. As I just finished the second squad, all I have left to paint are the Librarian (combat synth) and the lightning claw terminator (powerloader), expect to see them soon. This is bordering on amazing, I’ve only dreamed of actually completing a project!

Here are the newest three Marines:

Click for a larger version

This is squad #1, representing a terminator squad with a power sword -armed sergeant and a heavy flamer:

Click for a larger version

And this is squad #2, with a sergeant armed with a thunder hammer and storm shield (shotgun), an assault cannon trooper (smartgun) and a chainfist (blowtorch) trooper:

Click for a larger version

With this I’m off to Ropecon 2010, Finland’s biggest roleplaying convention, to enjoy a weekend of sheer nerd heaven. Which basically means a few panel discussions, some board games and drinking beer with old friends.

Posted in Miniatures, Sci-Fi | Tagged , , | 3 Comments »

h1

Predators – a review

July 20, 2010

First off, let me point your attention to one thing. How many blockbuster, shoot’em up action movies star an Academy Award winner? I don’t think there are too many. Predators does. When they announced that Adrien Brody, known for his Oscar-winning performance as the eponymous pianist in The Pianist would star in the newest film of the Predator franchise, I doubt I was the only one who nearly choked on his coffee. How could the skinny, quiet, sad-looking man possibly play the lead role in a sequel to a movie starring a young Arnold Schwarzenegger – in his physical prime and speaking almost unintelligible English? He nails it.

Let’s get back to Brody and the rest of the cast a bit later, and start from the top. The concept of Predators is simple: a bunch of dangerous people are kidnapped and dropped on a strange planet for the Predators’ private safari. What follows is just what you would expect: big guns, explosions, jungle getting torn to shreds, gory deaths and Predators, Predators, Predators. Apart from the plural Predators, these are precisely the elements that made the original Predator film a scifi/horror/action classic. The big question here is whether Predators can bring anything new to the table.

Predators has been bashed for being unoriginal, of being nothing but a cheap remake of the 1987 film, of having no substance. I have to disagree. While there are a lot of references to the first film to satisfy fanboys – such as yours truly – the two films have different concepts, different settings, different plots, different characters and their dynamics and so on. Yes, they’re both set in a jungle. Yes, they both have Predators knocking off members of a heavily armed group of killers one by one.  That’s about it. Oh, there is one excellent similarity: Predators uses the original film’s theme in the soundtrack, and the rest of the soundtrack is also heavily influenced by the score in Predator.

The characters in Predators are pretty much standard fare, mostly one-trick ponies. They have, however, a few things going for them. There are little touches making the characters just a bit more likable/loathable. I like the idea, that the characters as a rule are not heroes. In the original Predator movie (and most action flicks, come to think of it) the main characters are heroes, regardless of the mayhem and death they cause. Not so in Predators, and the movie does make a good effort to make the viewer root for a bunch of monsters, and I’m not talking about the aliens here. The acting is solid and pretty much what you’d expect. As mentioned, Adrien Brody pulls of his mercenary anti-hero very nicely, while Walton Goggins (of Shield fame) manages to create a somewhat sympathetic sick rapist. Which is actually a tad disturbing, now that I think about it. Laurence Fishburn puts in a nice performance too, even if it borders on over-acting. Nimród Antal is a fair director, and gets a good show out of the cast.

I have to mention the storytelling elements in the movie as well. Unlike a lot of movies today, every single thread is not unraveled. There are blanks instead, left for the viewer’s imagination to fill. I’m not talking any big mysteries, just little touches that add colour to the movie. Kind of like that 18th century gun the Predators have at the end of Predator 2, suggesting a lot more than is shown. While on the subject of Predator 2, Predators only mentions the original Predator film, suggesting that Predator 2 and the AVP films aren’t part of the canon. While the AVP flicks are dreck hopefully quickly forgotten, I’ve always liked Predator 2, so it was a bit of a disappointment.

There’s one thing I love above all in Predators: the reliance on makeup and guys in suits over CGI. The Predators look fleshy, heavy and well…real. There’s none of the unnatural lightness and jerky movement that’s there in even the most advanced CGI – such as that in Avatar. The makeup is great, the Predators look absolutely lovely and all the iconic sights and sounds are present. Overall, the movie has a very nice, grimy and physical feel to it, which is essential to a good action movie.

So, any flaws? A few. 10-15 minutes could’ve been cut to keep the movie’s pace up. There are some scenes and plot twists that you can spot coming a mile away, as well as a few problems solved so easily that it reeks just a bit of deus ex machina. The lead female – the only female in the film – plays a very one-dimensional character with next to no development. Come to think of it, she’s pretty much the hero of the film, which is a bit boring, to be frank. Is it the action film makers’ fear of being labeled misogynistic that leads to female lead characters being all nicey-nice, and in general much more ethical, intelligent and caring than the men? See AVP for an awful example – both of a movie and of an über-heroine.

Overall verdict: Predators is a good film, even a great one at times. Do note, that when I talk of a good movie in this review, I mean entertaining. Predators is no Citizen Kane or Godfather, make no mistake. It is, however miles and miles beyond the terrible disappointment of the AVP films, and right up there with the original two films of the franchise. If you’re into scifi action, there’s nothing better available, and probably won’t be for a while. If you’re a fan of the Predator franchise, you can’t possibly miss this.

Here’s the official site.

Posted in Movie reviews, Movies, Sci-Fi | Tagged | Leave a Comment »

h1

Fountain of joy

July 18, 2010

Miniature gamers often have a way of their own of looking at the world. You know what I’m talking about. You’ll see a toy at a toy store, maybe some aquarium furnishings at a pet shop or some interesting gubbins at a hardware store, and start going “Hmm, that might be usable in gaming…” This usually means that you end up with loads and loads of random stuff rammed into boxes already full of other such stuff with great potential. However, every now and then you find a real gem, and that’s what happened to me at a local hardware store. They were having a sale for garden fountains, and different waterfall elements (as they’re apparently called) were sold for dirt cheap. I ended up with this:

Click for a larger version

It’s big (those are Colonial Marines on 25mm bases in the top right corner of the picture), durable (it’s about 5mm thick vinyl/plastic), textured and painted. What more can you ask for? Oh, the price? All of 10 EUR.  That’s 13 USD, or 8,50 GBP. Insane.

Buying such a cool piece of terrain inspired me to build a quick little diorama using my Colonial Marines and Aliens. It also shows off the terrain piece (lovingly christened The Hill) nicely. You can click on any photo for a larger view. Enjoy!

As night sets on LV-278, the Xenomorphs swarm the Colonial Marines

A Xenomorph lurks above the hapless Marines

Another Xenomorph's eye view

The motion tracker going wild, the Marines make their stand

I didn’t even remember building little scenes like this was so much fun. As a kid I used to read old 80s Citadel Journals, and they had these big dioramas, mainly showcasing miniatures. To a little kid’s imagination those pictures were something amazing, and doing this quick thing, I can see why. I should do this more often, I think.

I hope these provided some inspiration, at least to go raid your nearest few hardware stores!

Posted in Miniatures, Sci-Fi | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments »

h1

What’s your status?

July 15, 2010

My Aliens Space Hulk project is nearing completion. Here are the latest developments:

Painting

I’ve painted two more Colonial Marines, including my flamer conversion shown earlier. They’re shown below for your viewing pleasure.

Click for a larger version

Buying

If you’ve been following the project, you might know that I’ve been lacking replacements for the Lightning Claw armed Terminator as well as the Librarian. To remedy the situation, I ordered a few miniatures:

Auto loader with pilot from Prince August will be a nice replacement for the Lightning Claws. The inspiration for the model should be instantly apparent to anyone who’s seen Aliens. If you haven’t, shame on you. I’m intending to paint the loader in a similar scheme to my Marines, probably using the darkish, military green. I must note here, that I wasn’t too pleased with Prince August’s policy of a minimum order of 20 EUR (excluding postage). Eventually I had to top up my order by buying a bunch of Vallejo paints. I don’t really mind buying them, but I DO mind being forced to buy something.

Click for a larger version, picture © Prince August

Knuckles the inspector by Heresy miniatures is my solution to the Librarian problem. My replacement for the Librarian (psychic powers, close combat prowess, firepower) is a combat synthetic, also known as an android. The psychic powers with their blocking of corridors and area attacks are replaced with the synthetic activating defense systems, like sentry guns and such. To account for the shooting capacity, I’ll give my synth one of Hasslefree’s wonderful pulse rifles. Knuckles looks pretty kick-ass as-is, and with the addition of a pulse rifle, he should be imposing enough. While synthetics in combat roles don’t feature in the Alien franchise films, they are fairly prominent in the comics.

Image © Heresy, click to go to website

In other news

While I don’t really need them for Space Hulk, a few minis from Hasslefree were simply too nice to pass up on, so I’ll probably find a use for them. The first one is McKenzie and the second one is KJ. They might be my Colonial Marines’ pilots, come to think of it.

Image © Hasslefree, click to go to website

Image © Hasslefree, click to go to website

…and while we’re on the subject of non-SH miniatures, I finally succumbed to my desire to buy the Heresy Hurn that I’ve been oogling for quite a while. I’m sure I’ll find a use for him, especially after watching Predators, on which I’ll probably do a separate post.

Image © Heresy, click to go to website

And that fellow is a nice way to wrap up this post. Can’t believe I’m actually close to finishing a project, although better not celebrate just yet…

Posted in Miniatures, Sci-Fi | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments »

h1

From the painting desk #5

July 10, 2010

This post was supposed to be about my two latest Colonial Marines. Thanks to the massive heat wave here in Finland (the weather’s around 25-30 in the shade, which is insane) my spray varnish simply doesn’t work, as it dries too quickly. Luckily enough, I didn’t do any lasting damage to my minis – I hope – but until I can get my hands on some good old painted-on matt varnish, the Marines will have to wait. Gloss varnished stuff is a bugger to photograph!

This mishap, however, made for a perfect opportunity to post a few minis that I’ve wanted to showcase. I’ve been painting some fantasy miniatures for our now sadly defunct Pathfinder RPG campaign. The models below are  Edward Dumond and Damien, Hellborn wizard, both from Reaper. As I’m not painting them for myself, but for a friend, I’ve painted them to a higher standard than usual. If only I had the patience to put that much effort in every mini I paint! Anyway, if the campaign ever makes a comeback, we’ll have the minis for it.

Edward Dumond

Click for a larger version

Tiefling sorcerer

Click for a larger version

Both miniatures made for interesting painting work, and in my opinion they’re some of the best paintjobs I’ve ever managed. While the bases are my bland standard ones, such neutral basing was specifically requested.

Posted in Miniatures | Tagged , | 6 Comments »

h1

La Horde – a review

June 28, 2010

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: when it comes to making entertaining zombie movies these days, Europe is soundly kicking the US around. The latest in a line of European zombie goodness is a film that I’ve frothed over before: La Horde, by Yannick Dahan & Benjamin Rocher.

I loved La Horde, and it now holds a place in my mind as one of the top (something) zombie movies ever. And why is that? It’s better than the sum of its parts. Let’s take a look.

The premise of the movie is very simple. Gangsters kill a cop, cops go for revenge, zombie apocalypse happens and cops and gangsters have to work together to survive. Nothing massively original here.

The main characters are pretty much what you would expect. The intelligent but ruthless gangster boss and his murderous, brutal little brother. The tough but mostly honest cops. The crazed French Vietnam veteran…as said, pretty much what you would expect. There is a lot of wasted potential here, with unanswered questions and characters that could’ve easily been given more depth and explored in detail.

The acting is fine. Nothing special, the word “solid” springs to mind.

The dialogue has its moments, but yet again, nothing really memorable. Like the characters, there could’ve been much more here.

The zombies? They’re of the nowadays typical, running variety.

The gore? Existent, but not excessive. Nothing special.

The visuals? Dark and grimy. Lots of quick cuts and even some camera shake. Industry standard.

…and suprisingly out of all these unremarkable elements emerges one of the most entertaining zombie flicks in a while.

Actually, I think that entertaining is the operative word here. While La Horde may lack the social commentary of Romero’s original Dawn of the Dead, the lovable characters of Bio Zombie or Shaun of the Dead or the sheer gripping horror of REC, it is a very enjoyable piece of zombie cinema. It’s both the movie’s strongest and its weakest point: it doesn’t try anything new or fancy, but what it does, it does very well.

La Horde is a poster boy for contemporary zombie movies, and that’s why a review of it turns into a review of today’s zombie movies in general. It looks good, it’s packed with action and consequently paints the zombies as a very immediate, shocking threat, instead of creating the sense of despair prevalent in Romero’s original trilogy. It’s very much a win some-lose some scenario, as some – but not all – character building in the form of dialogue and actor performance must be sacrificed to make room for action. On the other hand it makes for a movie in which action is plentiful and which never really gets boring or creeps along at a snail’s pace.

Overall verdict: Whether you’ll like La Horde depends very much on what you’re looking for in a zombie flick. If it’s character development, a look at contemporary society and moral content, you’ll probably be better off elsewhere. I’m not saying that those things are nonexistent in La Horde, there are simply other movies that focus more on such genre aspects. If, however, you’re in the mood for a grim and gritty French cop flick with zombies, you’re in paradise.

La Horde is coming to DVD on July 7, and should be available in VOD services this summer.

Here’s the official site, and there’s a trailer below if you want to see what the movie is all about.

Posted in Movie reviews, Movies, Zombies | 3 Comments »

« Newer Entries
Older Entries »