A Review of Logan (2017), With Many Spoilers

Logan represents the latest instalment in Fox's long running X-Men franchise. Using Marvel characters, while not actually being part of the MCU, this franchise can be best described as patchy. Most are OK, some have aged poorly, several are dire, but with the notable exception of Deadpool, they've yet to completely nail it. One thing they did however get right first time was Logan A.K.A Wolverine A.K.A James Howlett, A.K.A Mutant McStabbyhands, the antisocial berserker of an ensemble cast. Logan the character is probably only just below Batman in terms of recognisability, but most of the films about him are meh at best. Logan the film, what we are talking about today, exists mainly because actor Hugh Jackman wishes to retire from the role after sixteen odd years. And fortunately, it isn't meh. In fact, its probably gonna be on a lot of people's shortlists for best Superhero film, 2017.

The main reason is its conceit. This film has an unusually bleak premise with subtle themes of dystopia, which honestly put me in mind of one of those non-canon/elseworlds/what-if stories. Its NOT directly based on the Old Man Logan comic series, with the only real similarity being Logan happening to be an old man in a crappy world. Mutants are dying out, not at the hands of killer robots, but due to the mysterious lack of mutant births. The X-Men are gone, with seemingly the only survivors being Wolverine, and Professor X A.K.A Charles. Neither is ageing well, with Charles having a brain disease and Wolverine working as chauffeur to support both of them, now needing glasses to read. Into this comes Laura A.K.A X-23 a new mutant of about 10, and a team of cyborg mercenaries chasing her. With extreme reluctance, and the promise of money, Wolverine drives her to safety. Unfortunately for him, and those he must protect, Wolverine is dying, his mutant healing factor all but spent. He does not survive the trip, and at one point discusses suicide.


As I say, bleak. Wolverine, the embodiment of male bloodlust and endurance, hobbles around covered in scars, drinking his regrets, and finding even his claws are failing him. But more than that is the sense of regret. The X-Men failed. Mutants look to be going out not with a bang, but with a whimper. Professor X is not only in mad grampa territory, but did something Wolverine won't discuss. And Wolverine himself has killed more men than cancer, and has nothing to show for it than guilt and a broken body held together with painkillers and booze. The world they live in is not overtly hostile, but one of faded glory, run-down tourist traps, and corporations. With the film having scenes in Mexico, its easy to draw comparisons with Trump's America, but that's not the point. The point is legacy, as evidenced by the X-Men comics Laura adores, but Wolverine decries as false. And blood. Lots of blood, and how it marks a person. Logan invokes the classic Western Shane, both featuring scenes and dialogue from it to hammer home this point. And the result is a powerful drama that owes more to the Western genre than superheroes, with some unapologetically brutal fight scenes. And make no mistake, this isn't the “GRIMDARK” or “edgy neon” favoured by the DC stable so far. This bleakness is earned, not an affectation.  

That said, Logan's flaws manifest in the third act, where some time-honoured superhero cliches, and Fox's general incompetence, come home to roost. One of the monsters chasing Laura which Wolverine must defeat, proves to be an evil clone of himself in black, something so chronically unimaginative as to ruin my first viewing. While not without symbolic meaning, its symbolism wielded like a cosh, and feels much dumber than everything before it. A better way? Make it someone more intimately involved with Wolverine, such as his male offspring Daken, or Sabretooth. You add lots more drama that way, this just feels like a cost saving. On a similar note, the fate of mutant kind and the machinations of Xander Rice feel as trite as any previous X-Men film that tried similar. Perhaps these plot elements should have been left unexplained. Then there's the matter of basic continuity, which is broken in ways both big and small. This is best evidenced by the casting of Stephen Merchant as Caliban, but this character was also played by Tómas Lemarquis last year in Apocalypse, and while not to diminish either actor, the performances are also incompatible with each-other. It seems nobody at Fox realised the character was in both films, which is face-to-palm stupid. The film does not match up with Days of Future Past either, with neither timeline fitting this narrative.Given that this movie is sold on Jackman's retirement following an unusually long tenure, that lack of continuity is shameful. While these errors are easily ignored in the experience of watching, this contracts sharply with the care taken with characterisation and direction. Paradoxically, its best viewed as a separate entity from the previous films, while being reliant on the broad strokes for most of its impact.

While all of the above disqualifies from true greatness, Logan is undoubtedly the best of the "serious" X-Men films. Part of this undoubtedly is a matter of timing and context. We've finally got Wolverine in a film with an age rating that fits, at a time there's a market for darker Superhero films. So, yes, if you wanted to see Wolverine in a production where the studio allowed for buckets of blood, it does that. What makes the film worth watching is the characterisation work, admittedly benefiting from Jackman's career choices, but let's not diminish the talent on display. Jackman, Stewart and Dafne Keen all own their roles. The narrative, despite nitpicks, works fabulously.

Its a good film. Fox might finally be getting their act together.

Image Copyright Fox, used under fair use provisions.

My Top Twenty Transformer Things of 2016

Since I started selling toys on eBay, I've not been able to do reviews. Its a matter of appearing biased and having conflicting interests. I still collect however, and its the time of year for awards. So, I thought I'd list my favourites, not detailed analysis, but brief discussions of why I like them. All the toys and/or comics would be good, or at least interesting, but the number 1 would not necessarily be the best Transformer this year. I don't dabble in Masterpiece or Japanese lines, and my interest in the comics usually stops with James Roberts, so my sample size is a bit small. So, something in the line of last year's top ten, toys I have in my personal collection which were released this year. More or less. Then I realised its actually been a pretty good year for Transformers, and 10 wasn't big enough a number. Especially since Titans Return Wave 3 started appearing in December, and Six Shot was looking to be a shoe-in for top 5 if I got it in time. Did I get it in time? Well, keep reading.

Let's do a top twenty instead.

Numbers 20-11 represent the honourable mentions category. Toys I'm glad I have, but got pushed out of the top ten by others. You'll notice a lot of retools in there, but that's not a bad reflection on them, as we have parts reuse in the Top Ten too. Buckle up.

20: Titans Return Rewind
While definitely the most successful attempt to reinvent tapeformers, the legends class "tablets" of Titans Return have ended up as an also-ran. Good enough as a group, but one hopes for more interesting toys in later waves. Rising above, more for what he is than what he does, is Rewind. As a toy, he's a nice robot, with an IDW head, a serviceable tank mode, whom adds to Blaster as a chest minion. As one half of a married couple of two guys, yet in Toys R Us, he means a lot more.

19: Titans Return Brawn (Titanmaster)

While not the best solo titanmaster release, Brawn gets on this list due to his general competency and theme. Whereas a lot of the toys at this pricepoint seem a bit misplaced, having Brawn as a tiny dude riding in an ATV isn't a stretch, even if the hoverbike mode is. It helps that the titanmaster evokes his toy design in robot mode, whereas the head is pure cartoon. That aside, functionally its the most consistent toy so far of its kind, not having a weak mode, and probably having the best weapon form. Just a shame that so much detail goes unpainted.

18: Robots in Disguise Quillfire (Warrior)
The modern Robots In Disguise cartoon and its toys have largely failed to register with me. I don't think I was the only one put off by the thought of a series about Bumblebee, and its non-standard size classes reminiscent of Age Of Extinction. The quality did however improve as things went along, eventually giving us this guy. Quillfire is very close to being a proper deluxe, if only his doors folded up, while having loads of character, and two weapons both which stow internally. I'm also amazed they articulated the neck, it could have been so easily been fixed as a cost saving measure.

17: Titans Return Blurr (Deluxe)
Yo listen up here's a story

About a little guy that lives in a blue world
And all day and all night and everything he sees
Is just blue
Like him inside and outside
Blue his house with a blue little window
And a blue Corvette
And everything is blue for him
And himself and everybody around
Cause he ain't got nobody to listen

I'm Blurr da ba dee da ba daa

Etc. etc.

Anyway, Blurr is a nice mould, but the blue is overpowering. Gonna repaint mine, I think.

16: Combiner Wars Trailbreaker (Deluxe)
An unexpected pleasure from the final gasps of Combiner Wars, Trailbreaker is another benchmark transformer. Not because he's a brilliant toy, although he has little to apologise for, but more for being better a toy on the second pass. The original Offroad mould is an also-ran of Combiner Wars, suffering from some tabbing issues that affected the already unstable Menasor, and a lack of anything to make it stand out amongst its peers. Trailbreaker fixes both problems, being rock solid in all modes, and adding Rook's party trick. More like this please.

15: Combiner Wars Victorion (Boxset)
My last Combiner Wars purchase, I hope, the fan-built-female-combiner set was an impulse buy at a good price, but proved to be better in hand then I expected. Its that beautiful sword and all that subtle retooling to make them feminine without going the sexy robot route. Unified colour schemes, and the fact the Combiner Wars toys are rarely bad helps too. That said, quality control issues and simple mould fatigue seem to be at play here, taking the shine off.

14: Titans Return Powermaster Prime (Leader)
An extensive and perhaps obvious retool of Ultra Magnus, this adds new play features, a third mode, addresses the hand issue, and brimgs an industrial amount of nostalgia. Given that Magnus was already a pretty good toy, this basically adds up to great, but is likely to be overshadowed by later releases. In a repeat of Devastator, the Japanese equivalent has additional tooling, which looks to be an improvement in almost all ways except feet. Whichever version you go for though, this toy nails the robot/truck/base play pattern better than any Optimus we've had for a while, if a bit gappy.

13: Titans Return Fortress Maximus
Perhaps the most interesting retool in this modern age of retools, Fortmax is a remix of 2013's Metroplex, another modern classic. Is he as good? Well it depends. The robot mode certainly looks better, the proportions greatly improved, and the reuse of parts borders on the ingenious. Cerebros is also a high point, overcoming his status as soundbox on legs to the point where some want him separately. And while I want to slap the person whom included the sticker sheet, the metallic foil effect adds a lot to the finished product. On the flipside, the city form is necessarily different from the G1 toy, and there's an almost "Uncanny Valley" feel to things as now undocumented engineering is retained from Metroplex. Odds are, you've already made up your mind on this one, but its got an appeal.

12: Combiner Wars Sky Lynx (Voyager)
I was down on this toy at first, my opinions coloured by questionable quality control and overhype. On balance however, Commander Modesty ends up as the best overall CW torso bot, if lacking for appropriate limbbots. No single mode is a total success, but there is no weak third mode either. The torso mode is heroically proportioned, and makes better use of the jet moulds than Superion does. And let's be real here, Sky Lynx is so utterly bonkers, its impossible not to like him.

11: Titans Return Crashbash (Titanmaster)
An extremely charming little toy, this is a spare head that combines with a wyvern to make an adorable T-Rex. Or what can only be described as a triple barrelled butt cannon. He's a great pocket money toy, all these individual titanmasters are, but this is the one to beat in later waves. Of course, given the number of times this toy has been re-released.....it will probably be in those later waves too.

10: Combiner Wars Shockwave (Legends)
Another toy making this article because I didn't get it until April, Shockers is an ideal representation of the character, and the best thing about the CW Combaticons. Seriously, articulation, appearance, transformation, and play value all tend towards great. When the only change you'd make is the characteristic use of translucent plastic, you know you've got something good. I liked this toy so much, I brought it even after I'd got it 3 times as the Botcon Reflector set.

9: Titans Return Hardhead (Deluxe)
Hardhead is an entirely satisfactory toy, but it has a mouth-plate, unlike basically all fictional depictions of the character. Putting that aside, HH is possibly the best deluxe overall in Titans Return wave 1, and out-performs toys in other size classes too. If you've got an Autobot with two guns and effective articulation, you are half way there with me, but this guy looks great, and he really sells the play pattern.

8: Titans Return Mindwipe (Deluxe)
While all of the wave 2 Titans deluxes are worth a look, Mindwipe is the most interesting and arguably the most functional. This is mainly due to his unique transformation where the legs unfold into bat wings, and the number of daft fan modes that result. He's also well-made in robot form, and I find his accessories to be a surprisingly attractive. A solid performer.

6/7: Titans Return Blaster/Soundwave (Leader)
Ever since Jetfire came along in 2014, the modern leader class has felt a bit of a compromise. Be it gappy plastic, sub-par engineering or a questionable design choice, a good all-rounder had yet to appear. With Blaster, it arrived. While not exceptional in any mode, this toy is consistent and hides its hollowness. Big. Simple. Fun. And Soundwave adds an accessory. Both represent the best versions of their characters outside of Masterpiece, if slightly let down so far by the quality of the chest minions so far.

5: Sins of the Wreckers (Comic series)
I feel really sorry for Nick Roche, because not only was Last Stand of the Wreckers a tough act to follow, not only was MTMTE was reaching a fever pitch at about the same time, the guy suffered a family tragedy while he was working on it, delaying the series. This has unduly marked the reception of Sins, trapping it a cycle of hype, anti-hype, and uncertainty. Its fortunate then that its a honestly excellent work. Personal where Last Stand was bombastic, but no less shocking or political, the plot Sins is something I dare not spoil by explaining it. I will however say that certain characters and scenes you will never forget. However much you may want too......

4: Titans Return Chromedome (Deluxe)
Chromedome was one of those toys that was gonna be a lot of peoples favourite, but also where some collectors were not immediately on board. Along with Rewind he forms the premier MTMTE couple, beloved by Tumblr and almost anyone whom actually reads the comic. But if you hadn't, all Chromedome just looks like is a retool of the excellent if over-used Combiner Wars Dead End. He's not, he's just copying engineering, although he share parts with #17 on this list. All that said, Chromedome ended up a very high quality toy, and was only pushed our of the top 3 by a late addition. This guy is basically Dead End plus Blurr, with an IDW face. He's the Marvel superhero film. He's very familiar, but he's so well put together, the end result is awesome. Chromedome is the new standard for car transformers, having all you could want at the price and no meaningful flaws.

3: Titans Return Triggerhappy (Deluxe)

The first last minute addition to this list, Triggerhappy came out of nowhere to be everyone's darling. While he personally ties into some happy childhood memories, this toy is notable for its very novel transformation, a distinctive jet mode, and satisfying robot mode. Its extremely well-presented too, with numerous effective paint applications, minimal gaps, landing gear, and a dedicated figure stand port for each mode. This all rests atop the Titans Return play pattern, which makes Triggerhappy extremely compelling as a toy. He's the best jetformer we've had in a while, and like Chromedome represents the new standard for such things, whom he ranks above for seemingly being completely new.

2: The Dying of the Light (More Than Meets The Eye Volume 10)
"Season 2" of MTMTE has been subject of a lot of controversy, but this five issue story proved to bean undeniable high note More Than Meets The Eye has always been willing to take risks amongst the character comedy, and its biggest was to make Megatron a regular character, on probation for his innumerable war crimes, and seeking to change his legacy. Against all odds, they pulled it off. Megatron's character gained nuance and complexity that just wasn't there before, and we slowly realised he was sincere. In this story arc, it all came crashing down, as his past caught up with him and people started to die. But it wasn't just about him, as plot threads bubbling away since 2012 came to the fore, and the core cast found itself re-enacting Rorke's Drift. As if we needed reminding, this story proved James Roberts and Alex Milne are names you want on a Transformers comic.

1: Titans Return Six Shot (Leader)

By far the most ambitious toy on this list, Six Shot had a lot riding on him. Transformers with more than 2 distinctive/convincing modes are rare enough on their own, but 6? We hadn't had that since the 2000 Robots in Disguise series with Megatron/Gigatron, the closest thing since being the 4 mode Animated Shockwave. When I saw the pictures, I knew that as long as it didn't break on day one we were looking at a modern classic. Getting it in person revealed some imperfections that confirmed it was made by mortal hands for the mass market, but yes.

Six Shot is possibly the biggest crowd pleaser we've had since Generations Springer.

Perfect? No. He's basically made of friction joints, and I took steps to tighten things immediately. He's entirely in the G1 aesthetic, so his altmodes require “imagination”. There's the whole submarine silliness too, and the guns look a bit weedy. These things do not matter. He does all the original did, modernised with articulation, tabs to interact with base modes, AND a titanmaster whose design is a spectacularly dark in-joke. Play value is off the charts, as is style, and this makes him my #1.

A Brief Review Of Doctor Strange

Sorry, I know its been a while.

Well, its a Marvel film, do we need to say any more?

Dum-dee-dum-twiddle-my-thumb.

You can go now.

Oh, we do, sorry.

Right, Doctor Strange is the latest in the generally very consistent Marvel canon, and one of its smaller scale entries, as its an origin story for a single character. Like last year's Ant-Man, its almost a throwback to the “Phase 1” films, and has a fairly light connection to existing plot threads, excluding a mid-credits sequence and a rather notable name drop. This was probably for the best as this film attempts to place hand-wavy magic into a world of soft sci-fi, a tough sell at the best of times. This film however pulls it off, creating utterly beautiful action sequences that feel like lucid dreams. I do want to see this film again in 3D, I feel it would add to the effect, rather than than be a cheap gimmick, which is high praise from me. Its also a generally slick production with a strong cast, and a general feeling of competency. Benedict Cumberbatch is another great casting choice, fitting into the role as well as Robert Downey Jr. did with Tony Stark, and the beard is a massive boost to the man. The remainder of the cast do well with what they have, the narrative progressing in a solid manner for the genre, and there is no obvious weak point in the entire enterprise. 

This however is not quite the same as saying Doctor Strange is a great film in its own right. Something about it didn't click with me. There is where the comparison to Phase 1 comes back. Those were always entertaining films, but I didn't love any of them until the Avengers assembled. Doctor Strange has so much going with respects to its core concept that its almost surprising it works as well as it does. But we are still in a position where the rules of the world still need to be explained, and this undermines the concept of danger. The formula of the Marvel films, or perhaps just the genre at large, also shows through. Doctor Strange doesn't look like any other Marvel film, including Thor, but it has a similar feel in places, and the same sense of humour. You'd be daft to say this film was identical to say Guardians of the Galaxy or Captain America, but you can pick out common themes. If you'd been inclined to sketch out a plot for this film beforehand based on the trailer, you'd probably have got the specifics wrong, but I wouldn't be surprised if you got the broad strokes. The ending was a surprise, however. Doctor Strange, while quite trippy could have been a lot stranger, perhaps to its benefit. Then again, to misquote someone, you have to have your feet on the ground, before you can build castles in the sky.

And, you'll forgive me if I don't open the can of worms that was casting Tilda Swanson as the Ancient One. She does a good job, but that's a topic for another day.

All this is however is me attempting to draw a line between the merely good, and the exceptional. Doctor Strange is good, and there's nothing wrong with that. While I don't wish to make comparisons with the distinguished competition, this film certainly handled magic a lot better than Suicide Squad did, and remains infinitely more watchable than some films about superheroes released this year.

The Verdict

Doctor Strange is exactly what it looks like, no more, no less, and that's just fine.

Opinion Piece: My Opinions Of The Batman. Again.

Right, I said I'd do some effing opinion pieces, didn't I? Well, I struggled a bit, given my new business demanding a lot of my time, and disqualifying some 90% of my ideas on grounds of potential bias. But sometimes, you get that spark of inspiration, and the need to do something else with your brain. So, here's a ramble about why I think Batman really needs to take a back-seat in Warner Bros attempt to make a cinematic universe, and will hopefully finally express my mixed feelings on the character.

Image Copyright Warner Brothers etc.

The thing about Batman at this point is that he's undemanding in terms of SFX, and you've got a bounty of material to draw on. He's easy. While Bats does fight alien ghosts of a Tuesday, he's basically on the level of James Bond. He's a gadget guy, prefers not to be shot, doesn't use guns because of his origins, and most of his foes are of that nature. He's a rich dude whom trains his mind and body like a champion. Depicting him in live action is only as difficult as you want it to be, whereas characters with actual Super Powers, especially the weird looking ones, only really became possible with CG(1). Narratively, he's also easy to get behind, being the archetypical grim and gritty superhero. Even before Frank Miller and Alan Moore took a swing at him, Batman was a guy whose parents were murdered in front of him as a child, and overcame unimaginable loss to start a quest to end crime, but decides not to take human life for fearing of becoming what he hates. He's just enough of an everyman to be easily empathised with, flexible with tone, and the psychological aspects are endlessly fascinating. Furthermore, the character has arguably the best selection of colourful villains, many being evil counterparts or reflections of Batman's personality. Its the best possible material to adapt. It resulted in arguably the greatest cartoon series of the 90's. The most memorable TV series of the 60's. Some spectacular video games. And two genre defining films by Chrisopher Nolan. If you've ever been anywhere near the Superhero genre, you know this, I do not have to explain further. This foundation is so strong that people say Ben Affleck is the best bit of Batman V Superman, despite the myriad flaws and troubling characterisation associated with that film.

Like the guns and vehicular homicide, but more on that shortly.

Batman however has some problems, ones which mark the DC universe and the expectations of viewers. The simple truth is that not all characters are Batman. Especially the grimdark version Frank Miller codified, and a large subset of comics fans tend to hold in high regard. Not every superhero works the same way, or operates in the same context, but yet WB and many others treat the character as the gold standard of the genre when it comes to live action adaptations. This is kinda daft. you get a homogenisation of the genre, where a bunch of wannabees end up imitating the wrong things. See the comic book industry in the 90's, or what happened to anime after Neon Genesis Evangelion came out.

Its for this reason why Arrow isn't called Green Arrow. Why Man of Steel was essentially Superman Begins, via Zack Synder. Why Bats V Supes took its inspiration from the Dark Knight Returns. And why we have a TV series that's basically about Batman before he was famous, even though there's no obvious narrative there, and it presents all the problems of a prequel. This is also why, I think, the Marvel films get stick for their lighter tone and lack of memorable villains. Yes, the latter complaint is reasonable(2), but the first bit isn't. Marvel has shown another way of doing things, where antagonists are obstacles to be defeated, not more important than the lead characters. There is an ingrained mindset that these things should be serious, one that is slowly breaking down, but not fast enough to avoid hobbling the new DC film series out of the gate. Warner Bros in recent years has only really managed to produce Batman films, or films that fit into a similar Venn Diagram. They haven't been able to do Superheroes that don't fit that template, and even then, the Batman movies are patchy. They've basically got it into their heads that the dark and gritty is the only way to go, something a lot of fans encouraged, its difficult for them to change tracks now(3). It will be interesting to see how Suicide Squad works out, with the rumours of comedic re-shoots and increasingly technicolour advertising. But, then again, Bats is in that too.

I thought there was a “no jokes" policy.

Then there's the whole “unfortunate implications” business. Going by recent films alone, it would be easy to view Batman as a mentally unbalanced billionaire whom uses his money to beat up the under-privileged, as opposed to spending on Police and Social Programs. A violent power fantasy bordering on Fascistic, excused by a childhood tragedy. The character's origins as detective whom eschews guns on principle, gets lost in translation. This is what happens when you repeatedly invoke “darkness” and “realism” on a character whom dresses like a rodent to fight a murder clown. You can only push it so far before the whole edifice comes crashing down. Yes, this is a train of thought that utterly defeats the point of the guy, and can be contradicted by citing specific comics and scenes, but its an argument that can be made(4). The Dark Knight, for example, is probably still in my top 5 Superhero films, but you do find a certain Right Wing circa Dubya Bush feel to events. This is a film where the hero flies into another country, does an “Extraordinary Rendition”, beats up a guy in a Police interrogation, and hacks every phone in Gotham in an attempt to find a single person, although he does step back from that. This looks more dirty than heroic, if you are of that mind. You can say I'm reading too much into it, and maybe. But then again, the Ben Affleck version is even worse, a multiple murderer whom brands criminals, humanity and reason apparently absent. He's just a lump of brutality, deciding to eliminate Superman for reasons that can only be described as hypocritical. And don't forget, the 1989 Batman was pretty killy too.

Pretty deliberate attempt at murder there.

What I'm trying to say here is we don't need another Batman film. At least not without a pretty comprehensive reworking. The realism angle has been drained dry, and the direction Synder took was unpleasant. And while I will always enjoy The Animated Series, the best thing for the character and for DC, is just put him in the background for a while.

Footnotes

1. Yes, Superman did a good job in 1978ish, but that was at the upper limit of practicality and money at the time. Note how long it was between that film and Spider-Man.
2. That said, DC cinematic villains stopped being good circa 2012. Note I said 2 Nolan films.
3. Although, Batman: The Brave & The Bold does exist.
4. Like how Indiana Jones was unnecessary in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

A Belated Review Of X-Men: Apocalypse, With Many Spoilers

I'm by no means the first to point this out, but the 16 year old X-Men saga is a bit weird. I mean, some of its good, some of its terrible. Its technically Marvel, but its not proper Marvel. Some of its really important to the genre, but also a lot has been made obsolete by the MCU and Christopher Nolan. There's some good drama and big issues, but the drama can often misfire, its often reliant on Magneto being the villain in some way, and the adaptations aren't always that close. Multiple mutants get crammed in, often only because of their powers, with their personalities and back stories ignored. Comic accuracy is not something they really do, but they've been getting better lately. And there's this kind of period drama, nostalgia for its own early instalments, type thing going on. Before it was near future sci-fi, now its more alternate history via continuity ruining time travel and soft reboots. Its probably best described as mediocre, and contract driven. Fox has to keep making these periodically, lest the rights default to their original owner, a competitor, and the X-Men are popular enough to keep the films profitable. Merit isn't a factor in the process any more. That said, Days Of Future Past worked better than it should have, and Deadpool is a highlight of 2016(1). Where does Apocalypse sit? Well, its a film in the mediocre category. There's a few strengths, some really head-scratching problems, but a lot of it just ends up being so dull my reaction is of apathy. At least until I started writing this.

To demonstrate my point, let me describe Magneto's big scene in this film. He's married and has had a daughter in the otherwise inexplicable decade since the last film. He's in hiding, but happy. We know what happens next. The creative types behind this film aren't gonna let him be happy. Even with the timeline being thoroughly messed up, Magneto, AKA Erik Lehnsherr, has to be the mutant terrorist. So, these characters are going to be sacrificed in the name of drama. So, Magneto accidentally reveals himself at the steel mill where he works, saving a man's life via magnetism. Why Magneto chose to work at a place where he could so easily use his powers by accident is unclear, maybe he wanted weapons to hand, but it was the noble thing to do. The Police come for him, and show enough genre awareness to leave the metal things at home, and he agrees to go quietly. Unfortunately, his daughter manifests her own mutant powers, and in the confusion, daughter and wife die. Fassbender acts his arse off, completely selling the anguish of a man whom has seen those he cares about murdered in front of him once again. He then slaughters the policemen with the only metal nearby, the locket containing a picture of his parents. It almost works, the scene, but then two realisations hit. The first is that you scarcely remember anything about Magneto's family, not even their names in my case. The second thing is that, somehow, a metal-free arrow fired by accident from a short bow killed two people. Instantly, with hardly a sound or blood.


Not to trivialise the death of a mother and child, but that's a Hawkeye/Arrow level of skill there.


And this is it right, pretty much the whole damn movie. I should care for the characters, or I should be angry they messed it up, but I don't. Its got some heavy weight stuff, or something potentially awesome, but then something happens to negate the effect, and its really noticeable in the second half. To continue on with Magneto, there's a scene where Apocalypse tries to recruit him. The pitch? To take him to Auschwitz, the Nazi death camp of reality, and the place where Magneto's parents died. Horrific stuff, which needs handling with care. Here Apocalypse seeks to convince the grieving mutant of the need to wipe the world clean, encouraging Magneto to rip the foundations out, while boosting his abilities. Throughout all this, all of it, the Horsemen loiter in their costumes like lost LARPers, and Psylocke in particular probably showing far too much skin for the occasion(2). The contrast between the characters, in their silly clothes, and what the scene is about is too sharp. Apocalypse himself has been ice for millennia, he's got a good excuse for any social faux pas, but his horsemen should know better. Were black cloaks not available? Did they not mention it to him? Did nobody think of this? Its a little tone deaf, isn't it?

Tone deaf isn't a bad way to describe the flaws here, especially when logic in general starts to fail. There's a scene where Professor X touches Apocalypse's mind and gets "hacked", Apocalypse using the link to launch every nuclear missile from its silo. Its an honestly tense moment, this dude is called Apocalypse, and he seems to have lived up to his name a whole act early. But then you realise not only is he firing them into space, completely against his objective, and they choose this point to do the Stan Lee cameo. Apocalypse instead uses Magneto to rip the metal from all the world, an act less radioactive, but no less destructive given that most of it came out of buildings. Erik easily killed millions, possibly hundreds of millions. Does anyone discuss this? No. His punishment? Nothing. He comes to his senses, fights Apocalypse, and gets credited as the hero of the hour. Insert your own comparison to Civil War and/or Batman V Superman here. I see what they are aiming for, but in ignoring these consequences, any deeper meaning of the film is diminished.

Also, given the plot of the last film, shouldn't the Sentinel Program be approved after all this? I mean, the world's nuclear arsenal got fired into space. Just a thought.


The film also suffers from the "Wolverine Detour", a chunk of the film that adds nothing to the plot bar fan service and a plot hole. Basically, the protagonists get captured by Colonel/Major Stryker, whom has been experimenting on Wolverine. They let Logan out, he kills a bunch of people, runs into the woods, and then the plot continues. This could have been excised completely from the film, and you would have lost nothing. In fact, it actually makes the post-credit scene less interesting as it spoils the surprise. Yes, you could argue Spider-Man was unnecessary in Civil War, but at least he didn't bring a continuity error. You see, Stryker didn't take Wolverine at the end of the last film, Mystique disguised as Stryker did. So what happened there? Wasn't it implied she had plans for him? Is this not a mistake? Mystique in this film seems to be written to reflect Jennifer Lawrence's role as Katniss from the Hunger Games and an Oscar winner. She's intended to be inspirational and heroic, but not the manipulator and assassin she should be. Her part in things could have been easily filled by any other character, and she's hardly ever blue, seemingly forgetting her mutant pride. Of course, having her be involved with the highly unethical Weapon X program would have greatly undermined her position as a Che Guevara, so I assume some form of studio politics and/or basic incompetence at play. Clearly, they hoped this would go unnoticed, or hand-waved it as being a decade later, but we know why the scene is here. Its to add to ticket sales by added Logan to the mix, not because the story needs it.

The young X-Men? Erm, OK, I guess. They do pass muster as teenage versions of those characters depicted in the first two Singer films. If you consider those depictions to good ones, this is a plus, but the film is a bit bloated, and not all characters really get due screentime or have a memorable moment. We also have to ask if their inclusion has more to do with nostalgia and a vague attempt to maintain continuity, rather than them having something notably important to do? Cyclops comes off well, but Jean Grey is back to set up the Dark Phoenix Saga again. I seriously hope that this is not the case, and that this is just another example of misused plot elements form the comics, because the films are samey enough without them trying to remake their worst instalment. Either go to space, or go back to the drawing board. Apocalypse himself? Nothing to him, but you'll excuse me if I bring this to a close.....


The Verdict
I should be listing some positives here, I know, but I' don't remember many. At best, its acceptable. At worst its kind of dumb, and borderline offensive if you like the actual X-Men comics. But mostly, its just there. Its not even bad enough for too hate. Seriously folks, its barely worth seeing once, let alone twice. Go watch the 90's cartoon again, I'm sure it on Netflix or similar.

Images copyright of Fox, used under fair use provisions.

Foot notes

1. A review of that follows shortly.
2. Aside from being hired muscle, all Psylocke really does is walk around in comic accurate fetish outfit. A missed opportunity.

Captain America: Civil War, A Somewhat Spoilery Review

Reviewing cinematic failure is easy. Flaws are usually obvious, or numerous, or even interesting, which make for good material. Some films can be so bad that writing about them is a safe way to vent. Yes, you are supposed to maintain some attempt at objectivity, which is why I make a point of finding strengths and weaknesses, but catharsis is catharsis. A legitimately excellent film is more difficult to talk about. On the fanboy level, you don't want to say too much for fear of ruining the experience. Its like explaining the joke, or dissecting the frog, you can't put it back together when you've finished. Similarly, you doubt if your own response is a reasoned one. Were you swept up in the moment? Do the nitpicks matter? Do you have an unacknowledged bias? Or will your opinion presumed to have one? I've already been extremely hard on the distinguished competition, after all. Going by fan reactions, and the occasional gulf between critics and those fans, you'd think most films are either excellent or dire, with nothing in between. This problem becomes worse when the film is a sequel, especially one which is part of these new, "universes".

Its at least partially a generational thing, back in the 80's, 90's, even at the millennium, ye olde video tape days, honestly good sequels were rare. Franchises did exist, don't let anyone tell ya different, but sequels were usually the domain of the lazy cash grab or the niche. This attitude still remains common in film critics, whom often take the view all works should be self-contained, rather coast on a previous success. Its not a baseless complaint though, diminishing returns is a thing, and its rather annoying to see a bad film presume a follow up. A persistent doubt is whether you can fairly judge a piece of a whole? And whether this flaw is a plot-hole or a sequel hook? As you liked the first film, aren't you sold on the sequel by default? And, when you get right down to it, multi genre long form story telling is some that hasn't really been done on screen before. Its not unique to comics, but its not exactly routine for Hollywood. When it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we have all of the above and more. The Marvel films have yet to produce an actual turkey, a few Ds certainly, but tending towards Bs for the most part. And people love them, assuming they don't have a dislike for the genre. But Marvel's consistent success adds to the review difficulty. We have an idea what to expect now, there's certainly enough for haters to hate, but, somehow, the movies keep on surprising us. And when they don't, we at least have something you can watch twice. The Law of Averages demands they must do a bad film eventually. Perhaps there was one, and we just loved them so much, we don't care. Does familiarity breed contempt? Or maybe this will run and run, like your average soap opera or Last of the Summer Wine. What will happen first, the end of the MCU, or the heat death of the actual universe?

Yes, I am stalling for time.

Look, you only need to know one thing about this film: its another success. If you need to know two things? The harshest criticism I can make is that it is indeed a sequel. Its drawing on eight years worth of material, which runs the risk of alienating new viewers, but just about everything that makes this film exceptional is made possible by that legacy. Could they have cut a few characters? Yeah. Would have been a better film? Probably nah. The airport fight that the trailers feature is a spectacle on a level we haven't seen since Avengers: Assemble, the sense that another fanboy dream has been made manifest. Whereas there the joy was that somebody had finally “got” the idea of a team of heroes with different powers, this film pitches two such teams against each other rather than disposalible foes, and its worth the price of admission by itself. All of a sudden, every single X-Men film looks like a missed opportunity. But more important than that, it sells the conflict. The film works because we know the characters, because we know that they would act like this, and we know what's at stake. Its like watching your parents divorce, or two mates in a nasty argument. Its a tragedy that plays out in front of you, as deep bonds are broken on principle. Who is right? Is the argument even about government oversight? Neither, and not for long.

Comparisons to Batman V Superman are impossible to avoid, and while its not really fair to make one, the contrast is sharp. Even with eight years of continuity weighing them down, and potential for Robert Downey Jr. to steal the show, the Russo Brothers has created a narrative that makes a hell of a lot more sense and doesn't shortchange anybody. Its still the Captain's film at the end of the day, plot threads from his previous solo outing being the starting point. As with the Winter Soldier, this film takes another sledgehammer to the status quo, but is notable for having something of a downer ending. Perhaps not for the reasons you might think, and certainly not the ponderous gloom of Bats v Supes, its a case where the actual villain of the piece wins. Marvel tends be criticised for its bad guys, because if they aren't Loki, they tend towards being 2-dimensional in some way, or not being given the due screentime. The antagonist in this probably won't defuse those complaints, but does go against the trend, and is used with same level of intelligence of the rest of the film.

I don't want to say much more at this point. With Marvel consistency being what it is, you know how you will likely react to this film. Spider-Man? Yeah, he's great. Black Panther? Nicely done. Vision and Scarlett Witch get some great scenes. I will end on this thought. Captain America: Civil War may not be the best film ever made, but its one of the best Marvel has ever done, and certainly top ten material.

Images copyright Marvel, used under fair use provisions

A Concise Review of Combiner Wars Trailbreaker In 500 Words Or Less

Pricepoint/Vintage: Deluxe, 2016.

Modes: Robot, Truck, Arm, and Leg.

Transformation Style: CW deluxe limb, Off Road style.

Play Patterns: Robot and vehicle, combiner, 5mm weaponry, HULK HAND, a pack-in comic in the USA.

Points of Interest: Retool of wave 2's Offroad, with a new head, forearms, and modified accessory.

The Good
Trailbreaker's 5mm gun arm allows him to mimic Rook's play pattern' giving him a single hulk hand via his combiner piece. Said accessory is also quite distinctive, functioning as a claw, and a believable shield. The new head is nice too, and the hubcaps painted. Articulation is solid at 14 joints, the truck mode attractive, and the limb modes having just the right amount of bulk. Most importantly, this iteration of the mould has all but eliminated the tabbing issues of Offroad, making the arm mode practical. Offroad was basically fine, but new play features and refinement make Trailbreaker better.

 

The Bad
While one big problem was fixed, issues with proportions and exposed robot bits due to engineering are still inherited from Offroad. He's a touch skinny in the arms, and the vehicle mode isn't that different from earlier versions. The loss of a regular right hand obviously means some loss in function, and reduces the number of 5mm ports to 3 in truck and limb modes. The pack-in comic has an infamous art error. My example suffers from misapplied door tampographs.

The Mediocre
Trailbreaker comes with that axe that I don't think has suited anybody, including him. They also missed a trick in that it can't plug into the gun arm due to its shape, a crying shame that could have helped with future reuses, as well as add play value. He's also a bit monochrome.

The Alternatives
Its a bit surprising this toy exists, as Trailbreaker got a new unique mould only in 2014. That does not combine, and incorporates a number of design elements this toy can't, although arguably neither is definitive. The other, increasingly numerous, iterations of this toy also come to mind. That said, if you want a combining Autobot with Hulk Hands, why not Rook?


 

The Verdict
I don't think anyone really wanted to see this mould again, especially as wave 6 was a repeat of wave 4, but Trailbreaker really is something special. The new parts increase the play value, while solving a tabbing issue, and is easy on the eyes. If Hasbro MUST reuse moulds, this really is a good justification, and perhaps the most desirable deluxe since the Protectobots. While not without weaknesses, Trailbreaker is like taking yesterday's cheesecake, and adding toffee sauce. Go get him.

Botcon 2016 Coverage: A Funny Thing Happened On Social Media

Greetings, dear reader. Here begins a series of articles on Botcon 2016, the last convention to bear the name. I personally had a time about as good as my jet lag on return has been terrible. Louisville is a nice place, the atmosphere in the convention was good, and I spent an embarrassing pile of money on plastic. What's to come? Well, there's going to be a photodump, youtube video, commentary on the exclusives, and probably several months of reviews. But probably what was the best moment when I went mildly viral. As regular readers may recall, I'd decided to live tweet from the event. I proceeding to share this image.

Then this happened.

And then my phone was buzzing with notifications for hours.

So, some context. The two characters pictured are Chromedome (center) and Rewind (on shoulder). While having origins in the 80's, they weren't really fan favourites until very recently. Appearing in the comic More Than Meet The Eye, this pair are best known for being happily married. Yes, two characters coded as male, in a brand that allows Michael Bay repeat work, are in stable relationship. And this is not considered noteworthy in fiction. Hasbro has reportedly been cool with this, as evidenced by the fact these toys exist. Gender and sexuality in a brand aimed at children is a potentially touchy subject for some, but this counts as a progressive form of Fandom Nod. And there was James Roberts, the writer responsible for the comic, sharing the image.

It made my day.


EDIT: I have since been made aware of the following tweet.

Its got to be a huge validation and source of pride for the man. Seems my photo was the first he shared too :)

 

Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, A Short Spoilers Review

I went to see Batman V Superman on Easter Sunday, and then the internet exploded. The critics hated it. Fans loved it. Other fans didn't. It made pots of money. It might not make all of the money. It might do. There's a petition to remove its director Zack Synder from the DC universe. There's a counter-petition to keep him. Its all so dramatic, and I think, dear reader, you may have your mind made up already. But, you know, I've written a lot about this film, so here's my short essay on the film. Here be spoilers. And no, this isn't an April Fools Day prank, although the word fool could be used here very easily.

The fairest comparison I can make at the time of writing is to Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Its breaking financial records. Its fulfilled a deep emotional need of fanboys. But no matter how much Warner Bros. tries to say you should ignore the critics, its not very good.

I'm sorry, I tried, but it isn't a good film.

Batman V Superman is a functional action film, with a few flashes of brilliance, but falls over once you stop to think. Before anyone says I shouldn't be thinking too hard about superheroes, the film puts Superman in a government hearing, and Zack Synder adapted Watchmen, so the intellectual angle is already invoked. The film is overly fond of dream sequences that may or may not be visions of future films, and tends to jump from scene to scene suddenly, so what should be a simple story becomes convoluted. Character motivations are muddy, often boiling down to "we need these characters to fight", or "because comics", but not "in these circumstances, he would do this". Lex Luthor is particularly bad on this front, he just seems to have spontaneously decided one day that Superman was a threat and is trying to justify it after the fact. Rumours fly about multiple different drafts of the script, with different villains, being amalgamated into one, and this would be easy to believe. Lex isn't alone with the silliness either, Lois Lane has her reputation ruined by the third act, WE NOW ENTER SPOILER TOWN, where she damsels herself through an act of stupidity. Having chucked a kryptonite spear into water, she must retrieve it for something to do, and then almost drowns as a result.

OK, lets put aside matters of writing for moment, as a sufficiently charming or directed film can overcome this. Lets give it the fairest shake, and talk action sequences. And these are good, when they eventually happen. You've seen most of the memorable bits in the trailers, Batman being a highlight, but its a long wait between sequences, and an even longer wait for the title fight. If you ever wanted to see Superman beaten up, including the use of a sink, this is your movie. Its just a shame about how it starts and ends. The fight could have been prevented by Supes saying “He's kidnapped my Mum”, and it ends with him saying “He's got Martha” instead. “Martha” is coincidentally the name of both Bats and Supes respective mothers, a piece of trivia that gets treated as a revelation here. I mean how often do you use your mother's first name?

I'm sorry, I realise I was meant to be talking about the action.

Ahem, well, as entertaining as seeing Bats punch people is, things go south once Doomsday wakes up. In a prolonged CG sequence not dissimilar in feel to the Micheal Bay directed Transformers films, we get another big fight. One that is hard to follow, done in contrasting colours, and goes on far too long. Wonder Woman makes her present felt, and is welcome, but Doomsday himself is a deeply unconvincing CG creation that seems to have been borrowed from the first Lord of the Rings film. And, at this point, I really have to start addressing the adaptation.

Now, if you watched Man of Steel and felt they'd missed the point of the character, bad news folks, they doubled down. Superman is still the perpetually depressed alien of minimal charisma, repeated religious symbolism, and generalised destruction. While the trailers imply his arc is about facing the consequences of the last film, its more about him having a crisis of confidence that he's causing harm by rescuing people. There's an odd dream sequence with Pa Kent, which seems to be the film's statement of principle, where Pa recounts how his attempt to save the family farm from flooding drowned some horses downstream. If you believe that he should be a symbol of hope, this film will anger you as the tone is utterly opposed to that. Not only does Supes flat out murder someone in the first five minutes, a terrorist admittedly, but still, the movie goes places that should have been struck down at the first draft. There's a suicide bomber in a wheelchair. Superman standing in the flaming remains of that attack. A big jar of urine. A frankly horrifying origin story for Justice League member Cyborg. Government officials believing Superman would need bullets to kill people. An alien spacecraft left to rot in the Indian Ocean. Batman branding people. Pa Kent. Those dream/vision sequences of a post-apocalyptic future. An ICBM being able to hit a man sized target in flight. Batman killing a bunch of people, first with guns, then with cars. Jesse Eisenberg's entire depiction of Lex Luthor. Jimmy Olson being shot dead as an exposed CIA agent. And then, Superman is killed by Doomsday, as part of a forced heroic sacrifice.

Yes, they killed Superman.

Warner Brothers grand plan for a shared cinematic universe is to build one on Superman's corpse.

Funeral scene and everything.

Then something starts to happen to the casket.

Then credits.

Thanks WB.

It's not that better for the rest of the trinity. Gal Godot's performance as Wonder Woman bodes well, but we don't get that much time with her. She doesn't actually speak to Supes either, and her main function seems to be a vector for all the world building stuff. Said world building has subtlety of a party political broadcast, because if its not dreams, its what amounts to a playlist of 30 second teaser trailers. Ben Affleck's Batman works well, but he was never going to be the problem, was he? He's won an Oscar, and Batman is a comparatively easy character to do at this point. He's compelling as Bruce Wayne too, interactions with Jeremy Iron's Alfred being a highlight. That said, this Dark Knight is a multiple murderer, so its not perfect.

So how did we get here? Well, as I suspected, this film is drawing heavily on two different comic series, Frank Miller's “The Dark Knight Returns” and the Death of Superman storyline. Both are well-regarded in their way. Frank Miller has largely ruined his reputation at this point, but TDKR is still considered a classic, if one that's notable for an unflattering depiction of Superman. The other is exactly what it sounds like, and was one of the big, huge, 90's comic events that sold gangbusters. Obviously, it didn't take, and as it was essentially an extended publicity stunt, its got its detractors. Doomsday on screen isn't that far from the comic depictions, if only for the fact that he only really does one thing, show up out of nowhere and kill Superman. While there is merit in adapting either, the themes therein don't really make sense for movie #2, or together. At the barest minimum, if you are killing Supes, give us a while to get to know him, and do it for his third or forth movie. That way, they would have earned it. If you want Batman to be an angry old man, as he is in Miller's work, let him age a bit on screen first, as opposed to promising the answer in future sequels. What WB and co actually did was latch on to these stories due to popularity, not because of merit, but because they were in a hurry. Too much. Too soon. All in a desperate, desperate, I say, attempt to catch up with Marvel. What story is there for Superman now beyond resurrection? What is there for Batman other than flashbacks? Not much that's obvious or good. Maybe he's killed all his big name villains by now.

The Verdict

Just don't. I hope I never have to talk about this film again.

Images Copyright Warner Brothers and DC, used under fair use provisions.

New Captain America: Civil War Trailer Released, Guest-starring Spider-Man

Brace yourselves.

The word of the day is "Underoos!"

Youtube Highlights: Big Issues Then Comics

Here we go folks, here's yet more youtube videos I've found and enjoyed in the past week. Buckle up.


To get the serious stuff out of the way first, SciShow did a video on the horrifying Zika virus.

Regular readers may have noticed an overlap between SciShow and vlogbrothers via Hank Green. Here is his brother John is talking about the gender pay gap

Ever wonder why some comics had a random picture of Spider-Man or whatnot on the cover. NerdSync tells us why.

Speaking of comics, the viral marketing campaign for the new Deadpool movie continues apace, this one from 20th Century Fox UK.

The normally serious and a little dry ComicsExplained also attempted to explain how Deadpool became Iron Man.

On the theme of violence and things I'm looking forward to, a new trailer was released for the new Doom game, seemingly based off E3 footage. As is appropriate, it is HUGELY VIOLENT, so caution is advised. Via Bethesda Softworks.

 


And finally the self-proclaimed Internet Personality Vangelus has done an education video on tightening joints on Transformers. Useful information, which I intend to use myself at some point. Full disclosure and/or claim to fame: I also met the fellow at Botcon 2013, nice guy.

 

A Concise Combaticon Review of Combiner Wars Onslaught (And Bruticus) In 500 Words Or Less

Pricepoint/Vintage: Voyager, 2015/2016.

Modes: Robot, Anti-aircraft Vehicle, Combiner Torso.

Transformation Style: CW voyager, expanding backpack style.

Play Patterns: Robot and vehicle, combiner, 5mm weaponry, partner legends mould.

Points of Interest: Extensive retool of Hot Spot with an inverted vehicle mode.

The Good

Onslaught retains most of what was good about Hot Spot, and gains a few articulation related refinements. He has 21 joints, gaining a heel spur, adjustable toes, and a smaller backpack. This allows for easy posing, gun-fu being very much a strength. Visually, the robot mode is a good interpretation of the character, a new head, chest, and shoulders going a long way. The transformation has been reworked, giving us a completely different altmode, and its possible to change between all three modes without removing the guns. Bruticus meanwhile has a gorgeous head sculpt, a balljointed neck, reduced kibble at the knee, and a rather impressive silver chest plate. More importantly, as rubberised plastic has been removed from the mix, he's a more solid torso than Defensor. Its a nice looking combiner too, with effective use of grey on all five main components, and the limbbots pair so well.

The Bad

Onslaught inherits Hot Spot's myriad of vehicular sins, and warning lights, while displaying Bruticus' scalp. The new parts look nice from many angles, but all those gaps still remain, it doesn't roll that well, and some play value went with the ladder assembly. There are some slight tolerance and tabbing issues, notably with his neck and the front end of the truck. Bruticus ends up with wheel assemblies on the shoulders. You can fold these down, with the instructions indicating this, but this affects stability. Bruticus also has a slight tendency to lean forwards.

The Mediocre

Both Onslaught and Bruticus are characterised by the twin back cannons, which in this case are Hot Spot's weapons in grey. As no other accessories are provided, using them spoils the look of the toy, but Shockwave would compensate for this. Be aware: his knees are mistransformed in box.

The Alternatives

Onslaught is relatively well-served with alternatives, as not only did he get a non-combing version for Universe, he's remained a constant in the team. While most of these are worth considering, his TFSS remould Bludgeon has swords, the FOC version is pretty bad. A running change will bring a tan combiner chestplate to this toy in wave 6.

The Verdict

Onslaught typifies the Combaticons as a whole, capturing the character, but with a questionable altmode and a feeling we've seen this all before. He's basically the same as Hot Spot, with a great robot mode, but with a flawed vehicle mode. Bruticus however shines brightly, and I expect him to shine more once I get my hands on Shockwave. It makes up for all mould reuse. Long-story-short: buy this guy for the combined mode, but he's not without his own charms.