Book review: Tarzan of the Apes and Other Tales - Centenary edition

  This year marks the 100th year since the first Tarzan story was released. Tarzan, the lord of the jungle, is one of the most iconic characters in fiction. At the mention of the name "Tarzan", most people will conjure the mental image of a muscle bound man, garbed in loincloth, swinging between tree branches in the jungle while shrilling weird cries of an ape, rescuing damsels in distress from the clutches of ferocious man-eating predators.

These mental images come from movies and TV series, such as the Disney animation "Tarzan" (1998). But I wonder how many people have actually read the original Tarzan stories written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the creator of Tarzan? Personally, though I have seen a lot of movies and TV series based on his literary inventions, such as John Carter and Tarzan, I have never read any of the works by Edgar Rice Burroughs (ERB). One day, when I was browsing in the bookshop, I came across this omnibus collection, and decided to add this to my "to read" list.

When Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote the first Tarzan book, he was at the bottom of his financial status. At that time, ERB was struggling to find a good job to support his family, as a pencil sharpener salesman, ERB was exposed to and was attracted to the pulp fiction market. He disliked the pulp fiction materials of his era, so he decided to write his own. As a result, Tarzan was born. Little could anyone guess Tarzan would go ahead and become one of the most well known fictional characters to embrace the world, and ERB became a millionaire with it.

This book, is a beautifully made omnibus, collecting the first 6 Tarzan novels published from 1912 to 1919. It comes in both hardback and paperback format, both covered with leather binding. At 976 pages, this is a big tome, and if you decide to purchase this book. I would recommend the hardback format, because a hardback book is more durable, especially with a big volume such as this one. The price difference between the hardback and the paperback format is only 10 dollars. The hardback format of this book costs approximately 35 dollars, which is a reasonable price for a book such as this.

So, the appearance is good, and the price is good, but what about the content of this book?

As I mentioned earlier, this omnibus collects the first 6 Tarzan novels published through the 1910s. I will briefly provide synopsis for these six novels below:

Tarzan of the Apes:
This is the first Tarzan story published in 1912. This is the "origin" story of Tarzan. The story told how Tarzan's parents, Lord and Lady Greystoke, became lost in the wild African jungle. After giving birth to Tarzan, Lord and Lady Greystoke died, leaving Tarzan as a helpless baby orphan unprotected in the savage African jungle. At the same time, a mother gorilla lost her baby after an accident. By a whim of chance, the grief stricken mother gorilla came across baby Tarzan, and adopted Tarzan to replace her lost baby. The rest of the story entails the journey of Tarzan from boy to manhood, growing up thinking he is an ape, his first contact with the civilized men, and the eventual pursuit of his romantic love interest, Jane Porter.

The Return of Tarzan:
Following the conclusion in the first book. Tarzan was living in Europe with his friend. The ape man struggled to comprehend with the civilized mannerism in his new environment. Furthermore, Tarzan made a mortal enemy in Europe, a villainous Russian spy Nikolas Rokoff. The story progressed, where Tarzan eventually traveled back to the African jungle, and encountered a series of adventures which will ultimately pave his way to his romantic love interest, Jane Porter.

The Beasts of Tarzan:
Tarzan is now married to Jane Porter, and the couple has a son named Jack. Their peaceful life were ruined by Tarzan's long time enemy, Nikolas Rokoff. Tarzan's wife and son were stolen by the evil villain, and Tarzan attempted a desperate mission to rescue his family from the clutch of the villain.

The Son of Tarzan:
In this story, Tarzan's son, Jack, was in his teenage years. When a mysterious gorilla entered into the life of Tarzan's family in Europe. After a series of events, Jack landed up in Africa with the gorilla, and spent the remaining of his teenage years as a jungle man, acquiring the survival skills as his father had, and finally became his own man.

Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar:
 Tarzan and his wife lived in their African estate. Tarzan often ward off against the elephant tusk hunters, and made some enemies. When Tarzan finally ran out of money, he traveled back to the ruined city of Opar (mentioned in The Return of Tarzan), to acquire more treasures. His enemies were on his trail and plotted revenge against Tarzan by kidnapping his wife, and taking his treasures. Once more, Tarzan must engage a rescue attempt to be reunited with his beloved wife, Jane.

The Jungle Tales of Tarzan:
 This part of the omnibus, is actually not a novel. Rather, this is a collection of 12 short stories of Tarzan, featuring Tarzan in his younger years. The stories mostly revolved around Tarzan's first love interest, a female gorilla. As strange as the idea sounds, but some of these short stories are very interesting, and serves as "tie-in" stories to fill in the gaps about Tarzan's time as a young man.

What I think about the book (Civilization vs. barbarism part 2 - The noble savage):

To be honest, after reading almost 1000 pages of Tarzan. I think Tarzan stories are quite repetitive. There are too many repeated scenes; Tarzan fights/kills lions and panthers, battles against giant gorilla for supremacy etc.. At about half way into this massive tome, I was a bit bored with repetitive scenes.  I struggled to read through the last 200 pages of this book. In addition, ERB's writings can be a bit monotone at some places. In the last 50 pages, all I wanted to do was to finish this book and shelve it, because it was becoming such a laborious task.  In my opinion, other than the first book "Tarzan of the Apes", the other Tarzan novels and stories are mediocre at best.  

Based on the quality of the stories, I don't really understand why Tarzan has gained such fame, that after 100 years, Tarzan remains to be a well known legend. I speculate, the element behind the lasting success and the charms of Tarzan, is the romanticism of the idea "the noble savage".

The noble savage (nature's gentlemen, originated in the 19th century), is the idea that uncivilized men have innate goodness if they are unexposed to the corruption of the civilization. This is a highly controversial idea, and no doubt it was highly criticized by many. For example, some Christians might rebuke this romanticized idea, because the idea that men have innate goodness/unselfishness/righteousness is in contradiction with a branch of theological teaching within the greater Christian community, who believe that after the fall, human are born completely selfish, and are utterly incapable of being good/unselfish/righteous unless God works in his/her heart. At the same time, I speculate some proponents of neo-atheism might rebuke the idea of noble savage as well, probably because the concept that human can be good without civilization, must sound appalling to those who believe that civilization, human progress, and technology is the answer to solve all problems facing humanity. In other words, the idea of noble savage is probably being battered by both ends whenever the it is brought to the discussion table.

In this review, I am not going to argue against, nor will I support the idea of the noble savage, because I realized people's views on this subject are going fluctuate according to their personal experiences in life. Instead, I will like to propose a new perspective, to explain why Tarzan, and the idea of noble savage is a subject of immense fascination.

Why the fascination with noble savage? Very simple, I think the reason can be summarized in one word: Hypocrisy.

Hypocrisy and the corruption in the civilization, from my speculation, is probably the reason why some people adore the concept of noble savage. And perhaps this is also the trigger for this romanticized idea. In ERB's Tarzan stories, it is evident that while ERB always refer to the jungle beasts as savage and brutal creatures (not very positive descriptions), but the jungle beasts lack the greed, cowardice and evilness compared to his descriptions of civilized men.

In other words, I realized, the idea of the noble savage is not romanticizing the possibility that human beings are better off without civilization. Rather, the idea of the noble savage, seems to be a complaint against the hypocritical treatment people give out and receive in each other, within the human world. In other words, many people had the experience of meeting someone who appears nice, perhaps with good clothes, good table manners, good taste in food, music, literature, highly educated, and speaks of noble things, after civilized mannerisms. Then after all the nice things on the surface faded, they are somewhat hurt (and sometimes being hurt) to discover this person is actually NOT as he/she appears (or claims) to be. So some people complain about such hypocrisy, by arguing that civilization only brings corruption (as ERB tended to describe civilization in the Tarzan stories). But the question is, are barbaric people really "better" than civilized people? What about cannibalism in the primitive tribes? I think while some hypocritical behaviors unique in civilization might be absent in a more primitive human settlement. However, I do not think the primitive human settlement is necessary more ethical. Rather, it must also have some problems unique in barbarism, with the absence of civilization (such as cannibalism, strong dominate against the weak etc..). To me, it seems that the argument of civilization vs. barbarism arrives at this conclusion: Neither barbarism nor civilization can bring a perfect justice system to the human world to achieve absolute righteousness.

I wonder how many people realized, at this crucial point of reflection. The general theme of the Bible comes in agreement with our observations in the human world. The Bible says that after the fall, human beings are corrupted with sin and this is why we have all the human induced tragedies. While it is true that the level of evilness/selfishness is not the same across the spectrum of humanity. But equally is true that no human beings in this world can truly, and honestly say that he/she has never wronged, or hurt others by our selfish nature. So what hope is there for us? Very simple, the Gospel tells us that God loves us so much, that He has send his son, Jesus, to come and take away our sins, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). This means in God's divine plan, those who repents and believes in Jesus as his/her savior and starts to live a new life, will be saved, and enter the kingdom of heaven, where the hypocrisy/corruption of human civilization, and the brutality and the savageness of barbarism will both cease to cause suffering and tragedies.

It seems, that in contrast to the ideologies of secular humanism and neo-atheism, Christianity is the ultimate answer to all the problems in the human world.

I do not own this artwork. The copyright of this image belongs to  Frank Frazetta Properties LLC

Book Review: The Long Ships - Published by New York Review Books Classics

 In the medieval world, a group of people plundered and pillaged unopposed, for almost 300 years. They were masters at sailing in the deep waters, explorers of uncharted worlds and ferocious in battles, their songs of ancient heroes echoed in the vastness of the open sea. Their enemies, trembled at the sights of their approaching dragon ships, they were warrior poets. They were, the Vikings.

Have you ever wondered, what it is like to be a Viking? Sailing the seven seas, singing songs of ancient heroes, gulping ales, where fighting, blood feuds, counting booty, plunder and pillage is the way to make a living? Well, Frans G Bengtsson's adventure/historical novel "The long ships" will tell you a thing or two about the stories of Vikings, in the way these ferocious Norsemen would have like to be told; epic, poetic, heroic, action packed with adventures at every corner, and (probably) most importantly, filled with dry humor. More over, this book also tells a very interesting history, of the conversion of Scandinavia to Christianity in 10th century AD. Is this the kind of yarn that you tickles your fancy? Read on!

I have not met many people who have heard of this book, and this is rather baffling, because of the people who have read this book (such as on goodreads), almost everyone liked it! The Long Ships, is one of the most read books in Sweden. This is originally a Swedish novel, and New York Review Book Classics has wisely incorporated this book into their list of publications.

Written in 1943 by Swedish author Frans G Bengtsson, The Long Ships is a historical fiction centering around a character called Red Orm. Orm is the protagonist in this novel, his is well known for his red hair, red hot temper, and his legendary adventures. The story of Red Orm took place in the late 900AD to early 1000AD, during the late Viking age, in the middle of Christianization of Scandinavia. The story developed around the historical, political and cultural conflicts of the time. Even more interestingly, the story also depicted the contrast between the pragmatic views in the Nordic pagan religion, against the spread of Christianity and Islam.

Synopsis:

The book is divided into 4 parts. Each part recounts the story of Orm at different stages of his life, in chronological order. The first part of the book told the story of Orm as a young man, who was born and lived in Skania, he was captured and joined a Viking ship through a twist of fate. On this voyage, Orm made some good friends. Their ship encountered a Danish ship along the coast of the Frankish empire, and they collected an escaped prisoner, Solomon the Jew. Solomon vowed revenge against the one who betrayed him, and took the Norsemen to plunder the castle of the Castillian Margrave. The Norsemen derived rich booty from this venture. On the voyage home, Orm and his men were attacked by an Andalusian fleet. After being defeated, Orm and the surviving Norsemen were captured by the Andalusians and forced to become galley slaves. Through another twist of fate, Orm and his fellow Norsemen were rescued by Solomon the Jew and entered into the service as bodyguards for Al-Mansur. They were forced to (partially) convert to Islam and partook in the campaign of Marca Hispanica. In this campaign, Orm and his men captured the bell of St. James, and they came upon a chance to exact the revenge against their former slave masters at the galley. Orm and his men escaped from Al-Mansur with the bell of St. James and returned to the north, where they seek the service under King Harald (Harald Bluetooth), who have recently converted to Christianity. Upon presenting the bell to the king, Harald invited them to celebrate the Yule with him. From there, Orm's luck changed, many high adventures followed, and told in this book that recounts the story of Red Orm..

What do I think about the book:

I enjoyed reading The Long Ships. This is an old-school style adventure yarn, but it is also a very interesting historical/adventure novel. Retelling the history of Christianization of Scandinavia. The essence of the book, is essentially a story of a barbaric culture progressing to a more civilized society. The style of writing in this book, is very different to the writing style in contemporary literature. It has a saga feel to it, and is very fitting for the story-telling of an adventure tale of this category. Besides all the adventures and actions, this book is also full of dry humor. I pretty much read the entire book with big smiles on my face (and sometimes, bursts of laughter). The characters in this book are impressionable and likable, and I really appreciated Frans G Bengtsson's depiction, of the contrast of Norse pagan religion, against Christianity and Islam. For example, in the story, Orm is pretty much a pragmatist. When he was a bodyguard in the service of Al-Mansur, he followed the tradition of Islam to please his master. When he left the service of Al-Mansur and once again put to the open sea as a Viking, Orm reverted back to the old Norse pagan tradition, sacrificing a goat, to exchange for a peaceful sea voyage. Eventually, Orm converted to Christianity, so he can marry a princess who is a baptized Christian, and he stayed a Christian because he believed that God has blessed him with good "luck" and prosperity in all of his endeavors. Similarly, several characters (Norsemen, and Viking Chieftains) in this book, converted to Christianity because they were promised gifts if they agreed to be baptized, while most of the Nordic folks in the book converted to Christianity because they were assured of God's blessings, and were promised of "good lucks" if they agreed to be baptized. This makes me wonder, if the medieval church strategy of converting Scandinavia was based on "prosperity Gospel"? (actually, some historical records seem suggest this as well). But more importantly, I think this is a good call for people who identify themselves as "Christians" to reflect and remember, just exactly is it that their faith should be centred on.

In this book, the Christian monks are just as likable as the main protagonist himself. The monks are portrayed realistically as noble and zealous for their belief, but at times can be hypocritical (and self righteous). For example, one of the characters in this book, is a monk who, despite his very strong sexual desires for women, yet insisted to remain unmarried to follow apostle Paul's example, because he believed that he can glorify God better by doing more work if he is unmarried. This monk, however noble he tried to be, was unable to obstinate himself from his desires, and landed up having adulterous affairs in secrecy, which eventually lead to his departure from Christianity all together.

The funniest moment in the book, occurred when the Vikings invaded England and demanded the king to pay compensations. The Christian monks were sent by the king to negotiate the bargain. When the monks failed to persuade the Vikings to lessen their demand, they judged the Vikings as, unable to enter the kingdom of heaven due to their reluctance to let go of the riches. Upon hearing this, the Vikings replied that surely, if what the monks said about the kingdom of heaven, the eyes of the needle and gold were true, then they are actually helping the king to enter heaven, by relieving him of his burden of "being too rich". Obviously, the monks/king refused to yield to the demands of the Vikings, this event demonstrated the hypocrisy of the Christian monks in the book.

 Personally, I really appreciated the way Frans G Bengtsson portrayed the Christians in this book. Because after spending 6 years at churches as a Christian, I have personally seen people who are similar to the Christian monks portrayed in this book. I think this is a very realistic portrayal and should make every Christian reflect on what they "should/should not" say to other people. Equally as important, the story of the monks should remind us the fact that, God does not value us according to how much work we can do for Him, instead, God loves us, and He has already done the most important work for us as Jesus. Religion sets up standards and measure your performance accordingly, but true faith is all about trusting in God and know that He loves us.

The Long Ships, is a very entertaining read. This is an action packed high adventure filled with dry humor, with intriguing political situations, conflicts of cultures and religions, and has some very likable characters. I think most people have probably never heard of this book, which is very well known in Sweden, but not as well known in the English speaking world. Seriously, go to the library now and barrow this book, or buy this book online, do whatever you can to get hold of this book. This is a classic not to be missed!

Book Review: The Sword and Sorcery Anthology - Tachyon Publications

 Dragons roar, quaking trolls, flashing swords and then heads roll....

Welcome to the world of sword and sorcery fiction, a sub-genre in fantasy fiction. The origin of Sword and Sorcery can be traced back to the writings of Lord Dunsnay, in the early 1900s. However, it was only until 1930s, when the stories of Robert E. Howard's famous barbarian warrior, Conan the Cimmerian, took the world of fantasy fiction by storm. With Conan, the genre blossomed and solidified into the genre of sword and sorcery as we know today.  Sword and Sorcery fiction is often inspired by Nordic sagas and mythologies, and is a union of horror fiction and heroic fantasy, sword swashbuckling adventures.

 The differences between Sword and Sorcery fiction and high fantasy fiction (such as Tolkien's Middle Earth stories), is that Sword and Sorcery yarns are often darker, with elements of realism. In sword and sorcery stories, the protagonists are often anti-heroes/barbarians, instead of being all-round nice guys, such as heroes from The Lord of the Rings. The poster child of Sword and Sorcery today, is George R.R Martin and his series, "A song of Ice and Fire", made popular by the HBO TV series, A Game of Thrones.

Personally, Sword and Sorcery is my favorite genre. Only 15-20% of my reading consists of non-fictions, because I don't like to read about facts. I love reading fictions, I enjoy suspending my disbelief/skepticism, and let the author tell me a good story, and use my imagination to reconstruct a fantastic world in my mind, with bigger than life heroes and adventures in wonderful ways! I read a lot of Sword and Sorcery stories, because I think anti-heroes are more interesting than the all round good guys such as Aragorn. I also prefer the style of storytelling in sword and sorcery, because often the morality of the stories are neither black nor white, but with shades of grey, it is a world much like our own (with the exceptions of fire breathing dragons, roaring trolls and evil necromancers). My journey of fandom into the world of sword and sorcery, started years ago; when I chanced upon a complete collection of Robert E. Howard's Conan chronicles. I became a fan instantly, this passion would eventually drove me to to read ancient literature/saga/epic poems, such as Beowulf, the Nordic sagas, Arthurian legends and the ancient Sumerian epics. In many ways, I think reading Conan the Cimmerian is what got me into reading at the first place. Over the years, I have horded a collection of ancient epics, sagas, fantasy novels, and sword and sorcery writings by various authors (including some out of print and rare books).

I was delighted when I found out, that Tachyon Publications published an anthology of Sword and Sorcery. The cover art of this book certainly captured the essence of Sword and Sorcery fiction, full of blood and thunder! This book contains 19 stories, written by different authors in the genre, each with different styles, settings and background. The chosen authors in this anthology represent 75 years of the history in this genre, and the list consists of an all-star cast: Robert E. Howard, George R.R Martin, David Drake, C. L Moore, Karl Edward Wagner, Poul Anderson, Fritz Leiber, Gene Wolfe, Michael Moorcock, Glen Cook etc..  At 480 pages, this hefty anthology is quite a collection. I did not like all stories collected in this book, but I loved at least half of them. Instead of reviewing all 19 stories, I will only briefly mention the stories I liked:

Tower of the Elephant - Robert E. Howard:
The anthology started appropriately with a classical Conan yarn from Robert E. Howard. Titled "The Tower of the Elephant". In this tale, young Conan broke into the Elephant Tower to steal a jewel from the hands of an evil sorcerer. The story has a dramatic twist at the end. The Tower of the Elephant has long been one of my favorite Conan stories.

Black God's Kiss - C. L. Moore:
The next interesting story, is C.L. Moore's "Black God's Kiss". The main protagonist in this story, is a French fighting woman in medieval France know as Jirel of Joiry. Moore wrote the stories of Jirel back in the 1930s. It was unusual for its time, because the protagonist is a strong woman. Many critics has often claimed that C.L Moore's Jirel stories are ahead of its time. While this story is interesting, but I do not find it as intriguing as Robert E. Howard's writings. Still, it was a fun read.

The Unholy Grail - Fritz Leiber:
Fritz Leiber, is famous for his stories of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. A pair of very humane heroes traversing a land full of dangers and adventures. A story featuring Gray Mouser's origin was collected in this book, titled "The Unholy Grail". There is not much actions in this story, the plot was interesting enough, but I was hoping for a tale that would showcase both Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, instead of a story entailing Gray Mouser's origin.

The Tale of Hauk - Poul Anderson:
Poul Anderson is one of my favorite authors. I enjoy his writings immensely. Collected in this anthology is a short story by Poul Anderson, titled "The Tale of Hauk". This is a story crafted after the fashion of Beowulf and Nordic sagas. The story telling, and the language used in this tale, give the story a feel similar to an epic saga, and is one of the better stories in this book. If you haven't read Poul Anderson's books, but enjoy reading Nordic sagas, or fantasy stories fashioned in similar styles as Tolkien's books. Then I recommend three of Poul Anderson's novels: Hrolf Kraki's Saga, The Broken Sword, and Three hearts and Three lions.

The Caravan of Forgotten Dreams - Michael Moorcock:
Elric of Melnibone is one of the most interesting characters/anti-heroes in fantasy fiction. He is the most well known character invented by author Michael Moorcock. Elric is a sickly albino prince from an empire already faded. Elric has a sword, StormBringer, a cursed rune blade that steals the souls of the lives it has taken. In his sickly status, Elric needed this sword to give him the life force that he naturally lacks. However, the sword also caused Elric much grief and sadness as it steals the souls of the ones he loved, a truly tragic character. In this anthology, one of the Elric stories is collected, titled "The Caravan of  Forgotten Dreams". This is a fine story, one of the better ones in this collection. Featuring Elric and a rare occasion when he is motivated by a noble purpose rather than his usual, self-serving manner.

Undertow - Karl Edward Wagner:
Karl Edward Wager, is one of the most overlooked fantasy/horror author of the 20th century. This man is talented, and his most well known literary character Kane, happens to share the same origin as the Biblical Cain, mankind's first murderer. The Kane stories became really popular in the 1970-80s, when three of Wagner's Kane novels were published, with cover arts done by Frank Frazetta. Kane is definitely one of the most memorable characters in fantasy literature. The stories of Kane are interesting, because more than often, Kane is actually a villain rather than a hero (he is not even an anti-hero). I suspect that Wagner's Kane stories is probably not everyone's cup of tea, because in the stories, the protagonist is often the villain, and the stories are, very, very dark. However, in this book is a short story about Kane, titled Undertow. In my opinion, this is probably the best story in this anthology. The story started off as a traditional sword and sorcery yarn, then it branched off and contains such a twist at the end that is completely unexpected. If you are interested in Wagner's Kane stories, you can get the two volume set, the first book is called "gods in darkness", the second volume is called "The midnight sun - the complete stories of Kane".

The Barrow Troll - David Drake:
Another good story in this book, is called The Barrow Troll. Written by David Drake. I have never read any of Drake's writings. But this short story is very well crafted. The Barrow Troll is a short story fashioned after, and inspired by Nordic mythologies. It is somewhat creepy, and has lots of actions. I quite liked this short story.

Solider of an Empire Unacquainted - Glen Cook:
Although I have heard of Glen Cook, but I have never read any writings by him. In this book, is a short story (the longest in this book) called, Solider of an Empire Unacquainted. A very strange title for a story perhaps, but I think this is the third best story in this anthology. I look forward to reading more writings by Glen Cook.

Path of the Dragon - George R.R. Martin:
Another story I enjoyed tremendously in this anthology, is George R. R Martin's "Path of the Dragon". This is a short story as a part of the series "A Song of Ice and Fire". This is actually the first time I am reading Martin's writings, and I have to say I am impressed. Perhaps one day, I will sit down and read A song of Ice and Fire series.

My major complain about this book, is that for an anthology. This book lacks the appropriate introduction and background for each authors, and the stories showcased. The only editorial voice consists of a 3 page introduction by David Drake, and this essay does not mention anything about the background, development and the history of Sword and Sorcery fiction. I also think some of the important authors in the field have been left out. For example, regrettably, Clark Ashton Smith and Lord Dunsnay's writings are not included in this anthology, yet these two authors are some of the best authors in this genre alongside Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber and Karl Edward Wagner. Out of the 19 stories collected in this anthology, the 9 stories above, in my opinion, are the better ones and definitely worth a read. The other 10 stories varied in quality, some of them are average, some of them are not very good. Overall, I think the 9 stories I mentioned, make this anthology a good collection. In addition, this anthology should be a good introduction to anyone who might be interested in taking a sneak peek into the world of sword and sorcery.

Happy reading, open the pages, brace yourself and be transported to a whole new world!

Video game review: Darksiders 2

  They say there are two things you cannot avoid in life, one is death, the other is tax. It is true that death comes to us all. It seems that in THQ's latest game Darksiders 2, the game developers would have the players take control of the grim reaper, Mr. Death himself on an epic journey, not to take life, but to give life... At this stage of the review, I am going to jump ahead and say Darksiders 2 is awesome! This really is my kind of game, and Death is a very likable anti-hero. But what exactly is Darksiders 2? Well, let's find out!

  In 2010, the video game studio Virgil, developed a game called "Darksiders". The first Darksiders game was an action adventure game, blending the best elements between God of War and Zelda. Darksiders 1, received many positive reviews from critics and players alike, due to the solid gameplay, eye-pleasing artistic style and a somewhat interesting storyline "inspired" by the Judeo-Christian Bible (the book of Revelation). The game quickly gained a large fan base, and Virgil studio started to develop a sequel. In 2012, the second installment in the franchise is released. Darksiders 2, promised to be a bigger and better game than its predecessor, and the game was released in August 2012.

Synopsis:

The Darksiders universe is set in a fantasy world, "loosely inspired" by the Judeo-Christian Bible. In the world of Darksiders, the "creator" made the angels, demons and the humankind, together with the respective realms for these creatures. The balance of the universe is kept by a group called the "charred council". A demon called "Lilith" mingled the dusts of angels and demons to create the Nephlims, a race of beings which included the four horsemen. The Nephlims waged wars across many different worlds, causing unimaginable bloodshed and destruction. Eventually, the four horsemen grew tire of the slaughter, and defected to the charred council. The Four was granted with incredible powers by the council to serve the balance, and their first task was to destroy their own kind. In a major battle, the four horsemen slaughtered all the Nephlims and restored the balance. Awaiting the time when the 7 seals would be opened, when they will be summoned to bring about the end of the world.

The four horsemen in the world of Darksiders, look at the picture.. yep, there are four of them.

In Darksiders 1, the player took control of one of the horsemen of apocalypse, War. He was falsely summoned to earth when one of the 7 seals wrongfully opened, and War was accused by the charred council of starting the Armageddon pre-maturely that brought about the end of humankind. In the first game, War professed his innocence in front of the council, and was given a chance to return to earth, 300 years after the apocalypse to prove his case.

 The story of Darksiders 2 runs parallel with the first game. While War was on earth trying to find out who set him up, Death, the oldest, most powerful and fearful horsemen set out to find a way to save his brother War from condemnation. Death's plan is to resurrect and restore humankind to atone for his brother's action. On this journey, Death would travel to many places, see many wonders, and encounter many creatures both big and small, there is no way to avoid Death, the pale rider cometh!

The pale rider cometh!

Gameplay:

With Darksiders 2, Virgil studio has made many improvements over the first game. DS2 is now categorized as an open world/roaming, action RPG game. There are all together 16 chapters in this game, and Death will visit 6 different worlds. While it is possible to ride the horse to travel between locations, but the more efficient way is to use the fast travel system.

Need to go somewhere? Use the map!

 The combat in Darksiders 2 retains the style from its predecessor, the major difference is that in Darksiders 2, Death is a far more agile fighter than War. Most of Death's deadly moves rely speed and timing. Death can use two different modes of attack, his primary weapon is a set of psyche, the secondary weapon can be a set of super fast gauntlets, or heavy weapons such as axe, mace of hammer which have slow attacking speed.

The heavy weapons in Darksiders 2 are... really big!

During combats, Death can also deploy special abilities to wreck havocs against his foes. The combat is very similar to God of War and Devil May Cry, to win the day and survive an encounter with outer worldly creatures, the player has to dodge, attack and use special abilities strategically.

There are many special abilities in Darksiders 2, knock yourself out.

The boss fights (there are many of them) require the players to observe the movements of the bosses and use tactics to win the fight. Overall, the combat system is solid, and remains the core strength of this franchise.

The first boss in Darksiders 2, the Ice Giant

Darksiders 2 has a very heavy RPG element. Other than the primary quest, there are also many side quests to be found by interacting with NPCs in the game world. While the story for side quests are not particularly interesting, but these quests often require the player to travel to a perilous dungeon or locale to defeat some massive monsters, with fitting rewards to be gained at the end of the quest. The conversation dialogue in Darksiders 2 uses a very similar design in Mass Effect. However, the conversations don't really affect the story of the game at all, and the dialogue often serves the purpose of story-telling rather than impacting the development of the story.

A conversation with a... giant dwarf?

Darksiders 2 also has a new looting system. In this game, there are literally thousands of armour pieces and weapons you can find. When Death vanquishes an enemy, the creature drops items that can be picked up. If this does not satisfy your thirst for hording equipment, there are also hundreds of treasure chests scattered throughout the game world, each containing items that will aid Death on his journey. The armor pieces and weapons are level based, and the items get better as Death levels up. The loot, item and inventory system is very similar to Diablo 3. The kind of armor pieces you equip on Death depends on your play style, but also enables the player to customize the appearance of Death.

The inventory menu of Darksiders 2

Sample armors in Darksiders 2

 As Death completes quests and defeat enemies, he gradually gains experience points and levels up. When Death gains a level, he is rewarded with a skill point to assign to a special ability (of the player's choice). In Darksiders 2, there are two skill trees. One set of skill is focused on enhancing Death's melee combat (the warrior build), the other set of skill gives Death the ability to summon creatures to aid him in battles (the necromancer build), the type of character build can be further enhanced by the armor pieces equipped on Death by the player.

The menu for skill trees

 Puzzle solving is another main element in Darksiders 2. The puzzles in this game can get quite difficult, some of the puzzles will really make you think hard. Most of the time, Death has to utilize his surroundings and gadgets (such as the portal gun and gripping chains) to solve a puzzle. There are also a lot of wall running and climbing on the dungeon walls in this game, an element very similar to Prince of Persia and Assassin's Creed. In my play through, I was often baffled by some of the more challenging puzzles. Nonetheless, the puzzles are all solvable (if you think hard enough). Personally, I loved the mental challenges offered by the puzzles in Darksiders 2. However, if you are the kind of person who just want to get on with the game and kill stuff, then you might not find the challenging puzzles in Darksiders 2 to your liking.

Finally, apart from the main quest and side quests. The player can also take Death to the Crucible. This is an arena mode where Death can face up to 100 waves of enemies. After every 5 waves, Death can choose to either quit the arena and cash in the reward (such as armors, weapons, amulets, gold or potions), or continue to fight on to accumulate more reward. However, if the player dies in the middle of the session, you loose all previous rewards. Beating all 100 waves of enemy in the Crucible can let the player unlock 2 pieces of Death's most powerful armor, the Abyssal armor (I only managed to beat 55 waves in my first play through and only unlocked the Abyssal boot).

Welcome to the Crucible mode, the winner takes all. The loser goes home empty handed.

In general, the combat in Darksiders 2 is fun, exciting and exquisite. The newly introduced RPG system allows the game to have more replay-ability, and makes the experience more rewarding, while at the same time allows the player to customize Death to suit their play style. Finally, the puzzles in Darksiders 2  present some real challenges to any fans of video games who are not afraid of exercising some brain muscles.

Graphics, design and music:

The artistic design of Darksiders 1 and 2, is done by Joe Madureira (Uncanny Xmen). The looks and feel of the graphics has a very strong comic book style. The sceneries are grand, colorful and fascinating. The character designs are good to look at, and give the sense of high fantasy setting. I really like the way Death looks, with his death mask, spiked armor, a crow on his shoulder and his cool horse. While the artistic design of the game is amazing, the same cannot be said to the the technical side in the graphics department. On the PC version of the game, there are actually no features that allows you to turn on graphics options such as AA, high resolution shadow, textures resolution and so on. The result is the graphics in this game is not as high quality as it should be on modern PC games. The shadows in this game are highly pix-elated (I think I can almost count the pixels). It is very strange for Virgil studio to release a PC game with no options to tweak the graphic settings.

Welcome to the beautiful world of Darksiders 2

 The music and soundtracks of Darksiders 2 are simply amazing, a definite improvement over the soundtracks in Darksiders 1. I have the collector's edition of the game, and I was given a pass to download the soundtracks of the game from THQ website. Each of the soundtracks are very suitable for the different locations and occasions in the game. Finally, the voice actor for Death is Michael Wincott (from the film, The Crow), the voice acting for Death is top notch, very suitable for the character of Death, and certainly made Death one of the most memorable video game characters up to date.

Technical glitches:

 You might be wondering, with awesome gameplay, very likable protagonist, top notch soundtrack/voice acting, and beautiful artistic design, this must be the perfect game right? Sadly, this is not true. In my opinion, the biggest problem with Darksiders 2 is the list of technical glitches and bugs. Other than the lack of graphics setting features on the PC version, the game also suffers from a lot of glitches that can halt Death's quest to resurrect the humankind. Luckily, none of the bugs are game breaking, but glitches do prevent the player from completing certain side quests. Virgil studio has promised to release a patch in the coming weeks to address these problems. It would be very good if these issues can be resolved. Given that THQ is not in good finiancial status, they have really invested a lot in Darksiders 2, hoping this block buster title can get the company out of its current money troubles. I really hope Darksiders 2 can sell well and THQ can pull through, because I would really like to play Darksiders 3 in the future.

Final verdict:

  I instantly became a fan of the Darksiders franchise when I played Darksiders 1 two years ago. In Darksiders 2, with the solid gameplay, beautiful art design, amazing soundtrack, top notch voice acting, and a very, very likable protagonist. I think Darksiders 2 is currently my favorite game this year. However, the technical glitches and the lack of graphic setting in Darksiders 2 (on PC version) really weights against it, but since Virgil studio has promised to release a patch to address all these problems, I will rate Darksiders 2 as it will be when it will be patched in the (hopefully) near future.

In my opinion, Darksiders 2 scores a solid  9.5/10


Regarding the story:

The story of Darksiders 2, is loosely inspired by the book of Revelation. I think some people might be concerned about the spirituality of this game, in respective to the Christian worldview. Personally, I think we need to keep in mind, this is a "fantasy" story "inspired" by the book of Revelation. This means we need to look at the story for what it is, NOT for what "we think it should represent". (what I mean is, it would be ridiculous to expect a fantasy story, inspired by elements in the book of revelation, to accurately represent Christian theology. Remember, this is a video game story, not a theological commentary making a statement about Christian theology) .

A word of precaution to the would-be players. Darksiders 2 is strictly MA15+, mostly due to graphical violence.

There is one thing I want to mention (warning: Spoiler ahead!!!). In the game's ending scene (the final cut scene), the narrator spoke a sentence that summed up the story of Death: "Thus, from death came life, and the seeds of humanity was resown. But, Death's journey has not ended".

I think this is a sentence that should remind Christians of something we are familiar with. I always find it very interesting that the idea of "an individual's self sacrifice to save others", is such a highly revered idea in pop culture entertainment. If you have played this game, given the entire context of the story in Darksiders 2, perhaps this can be a conversation starter (a common ground) with your friends, who does not yet know that Jesus is humanity's savior, and has died and rose again.

 Happy gaming!

Book review: The Ultimate Triumph - The limited signed edition

"Barbarism is the natural state of mankind", the borderer said, still staring somberly at the Cimmerian. "Civilization is unnatural. It is a whim of circumstance. And barbarism must always ultimately triumph"
                    Beyond the Black River, 1935

  Empires rise, and empires fall. Throughout history, the earthly thrones of human regimes bud, and fade like leaves in the winter chills. Time and again, these empires and civilizations crumple and quake beneath the invasions from "barbarians". We have all heard of the phrase "barbarians at the gate". The somber reflection of history, seems to indicate a cyclic pattern: The demise of civilization in the waking inferno of red-handed barbarians.

 This is the enduring worldview of Robert E. Howard (1906-1936), the greatest pulp writer of all time; Corruptions and degeneracy manifest themselves as a civilization makes progress. Ultimately, when a civilization is rotten to its core, the "barbarians at the gate", a more primitive group, from outside the gateway, with hardiness and disciplines shaped by their struggle to survive the tough environs, rise up and overtake a civilization and rule in its stead. This seems to be a self repeating pattern, when one glimpses into the flowing river of history.

In Robert E. Howard's short career as an author between the 1920s to 1930s. He wrote more than 600 short stories and 700 poems, and he created some of the most enduring and iconic literary characters of all time, such as Solomon Kane, Conan the Cimmerian, Bran Mak Morn, Cormac Mac Art, Turlough O'brien, Francis Xavier Gordon... these tales impacted the world of fantasy fiction very deeply, and Robert E. Howard is widely regarded as the father of sword and sorcery sub-genre.

 Readers of Robert E. Howard's stories, are inevitably aware of Howard's disillusion with the notion of civilization. What could drive a man to despise civilization so much? Howard's did not arrive at his worldview by observing the history alone. To understand the elements that shaped Howard's worldview and writings. We need to understand something of Robert E. Howard's life. Howard grew up in a Texan town called "Cross Plain" in the 1920s. When his family first arrived at Cross Plain, it was a little town, peaceful and God-fearing. Sooner than later, the oil boom swept the town off its feet, and in the pace of a few years. The town was transformed from the inside out. The riches brought by the oil boom, also brought corruptions, violence and all sorts of negativity that impacted the community. As the Howard scholar Mark Finn correctly observed about Howard's experience growing up at a boom town:

"He saw the hypocrisies of the boom clearly, an ironic state of affairs that allowed for "progress" and "civilization" to come with their own predators and brigands. He watched as the quiet, God-fearing town suddenly became a wild and lawless place. He watched as the backdrop of his early childhood descended on an area of the country he had come to know, and he saw the effect it had on people his family knew very well".
                             Mark Finn, Blood and Thunder: The Art & Life of Robert E. Howard

No wonder so many of Howard's protagonists are barbarians. These characters are neither savages, nor are they men pampered by the spoils of civilization. While Howard despised civilization, nor does he revere the idea of "noble savage", Howard did not think human beings would be better off if we were in a status of complete savageness. Howard's barbarians are not just muscle-bound, fighting simpletons. Howard's barbarians are often portrayed as heroes contemplating with life, with naked honesty, stolid ferocity and iron determinations to uphold their principles, no matter what trials they face. Under Howard's pen, his barbarians contrast the hypocrisies of decadent men wearing the serpentine mask of civilized mannerism. It can be said that by creating these characters, Howard was stating his disillusion with the civilization, and the negative aspects that accompanies it".

Since Howard's death in 1936. Most of Howard's literary creations have been greatly diluted with  B-grade pastiches, comic books and Hollywood movies. Sadly, while the popular media has made many of Howard's creations famous, but they have also created stereotypes that Howard's literary inventions are cheap, cheesy, and second grade literature thriving on violence and sex appeal. Needless to say, none of these stereotypes are true. Recently, there has been a resurgence and increased demand for publishing Howard's original writings, unadulterated and unabridged. In 1999, the book publisher Wandering Star released a book called "The Ultimate Triumph". This is the second volume in their series of "Robert E. Howard Library of classics". The name is taken from Howard's famous quote from the story "Beyond the Black River" (the quote at the beginning of this review).

This book collects 7 of Howard's iconic stories on barbarism vs. civilization. The genre of the stories in this volume, range from sword and sorcery to historical fiction. The book is also illustrated by Frank Frazetta (1928-2005), the legendary fantasy artist who provided over 120 black and white drawings, and 4 color plates to illuminate the text. The limited edition of this book was restricted to 1500 copies, signed by Frank Frazetta, in hardcover format and encased with a beautiful slip case.

 The stories collected in this volume are:

Beyond the Black River - Arguably one of the best stories Howard ever wrote, an unique Conan story with the background of the frontier setting.

The House of Arabu - A horror/fantasy story featuring Pyrrhas the Argive, the Greek Barbarian

Spears of Clontarf - This is a historical fiction story based on the event of Battle of Clontarf in 1014, an epic battle between the Vikings and the Celts. This is a story containing all the classic Howardian elements.

The Night of the Wolf - The Irish reaver Cormac Mac Art is entangled in a conflict between the Vikings and the Picts.

Spear and Fang - The clash in a prehistorical age. A Cro Magnon man vs. a Neanderthal man, it doesn't get more barbaric than this.

The Valley of the worm - A Beowulf like pseudo-mythological tale from the dimming memory of mankind.

Lord of Samarcand - This is probably the darkest heroic fantasy story from Howard. A historical fiction based on the history of Timur (Tamerlane), who dreamed of restoring Genghis Khan's Mongolian empire. In the story, the protagonist is a Celtic outlaw called Donald MacDeesa who, through a twist of fate, served under Tamerlane's army of conquest.

In addition to the stories, this collection also contains five of Howard's poems.

The Ultimate triumph, showcased some of the most iconic barbarian stories written by Robert E. Howard. The theme of barbarism vs. civilization dominated recurs throughout all of them. Howard wrote these stories with poetic lyricism, together with his signature style of "blood and thunder". The stories are fast paced, furiously energetic and flamboyantly entertaining. Howard wrote with the intensity of a hunting wolf, at times, the text seems to be bursting into a raging fire from the sheer energy emanating from Howard's prose writings. The readers are transported to worlds and ages crafted by Howard's vivid imaginations; back to the field of Clontarf fighting alongside Turlough O'Brien, to the dark forest beyond the Thunder River and joining Conan in his struggle against the Picts, or as a witness to the death throne of Tamerlane, the last great conqueror of the world.

My take on Barbarism vs. civilization -  Part 1: The Ultimate Triumph

The theme predominating the selection of stories in this entire book, as its name suggests, is the ultimate triumph of barbarism over the decadent civilization. Does Howard's view have any credibility? Personally, I think his view is a very honest take on this known tension that has echoed throughout ages.

In our 21st century world, we often boast about our own achievements. We boast in our technological advancements, we boast in our culture that revere human rights, and we boast in our improved quality of life style in the western world, such as fine food, fine drinks, and top notch entertainment. But I often wonder, are our accumulative efforts really making the world a better place? New atheism movement wants us to believe that our collective efforts can drive our society to evolve to be a better place for all. The question is this, while the quality of life has improved in the first world countries, but if our 21th century civilization is really that great, than why isn't everyone happy? Can our own collective efforts bring us perfect happiness, or at a deeper level, perfect joy?

On the contrary, it seems that our "progress" and "advancement" came with some heavy prices. A few examples: Our rapidly improving technology has enabled us to make damning weapons that can wipe out an entire city in one blast in a matter of seconds. Our internet technology has allowed people to mass produce, store and view child pornography, and also enabled wholesale global human trafficking and sex slavery trade, all of these were not available before the birth of the internet. Our over reverence of human rights has gone haywire, producing a society where people are becoming more and more individualistic and apathetic. On the other hand, the improved quality of lifestyle has produced a materialistic, consumerism based society, where people's lives are dominated by the pursuit of personal pleasure, a facade jungle, a colorful disguise masking the invitation to unfathomable degeneracy. One only needs to stay sober for a while to ask a question, that despite our "progress", is our 21st century world is really better than the world where our ancestor fought, died, bled and inhibited?  Have we misplaced our faith on our own ability to make things better?

Please understand, that I am not undermining the value of our technology, reverence of human right and improvements over the quality of life. Nor am I against the pursuit of personal pleasure. These things are good. I am just trying to assert an honest statement, that it would be extremely arrogant of us to use our 21st century worldview and our 21st century morality (which are not perfect anyway), to step into history and pronouncing the superiority of our civilization over those who treaded before us. And perhaps, our faith in our own ability to make things better needs to be re-evaluated.


In this regard, we cannot be sure our civilization is "progressing" instead of "regressing". What if our society is, in reality gradually plunging into degeneracy, hidden underneath the illusion of our proud progress? What standard we should use to measure this? If history does repeat itself, that civilizations inevitably become decadent as it becomes drunk in its glory, then one day when our civilization is rotten to the core, what manner of barbarism, or barbarians will flood through the gateway of our civilization, bearing the black doom on their shoulders? Will such a day become a reality?

Perhaps, pondering on the question of barbarism and civilization is only scratching the surface of a deeper problem. Are humankind locked into the inescapable destiny of this seemingly eternal pattern? If barbarism is to ultimately triumph over civilization that grows degenerate, then we can say the cause of both barbarism and corruption of civilization lies within our own hearts. Perhaps, we need an alternative. Maybe, instead of trying to achieve the ultimate triumph with our own efforts, we need to let love triumph? If the central teaching of Christianity speaks the truth, that God loved us first, while we were still sinners. Then we can have faith that, in the face of barbarism and the failures of our civilization, love, will ultimately triumph. Had Howard realized this, I wonder if he could have made even more impact to the world of literature, by not putting a bullet into his head on that fateful day in 1936.

Disclaimer:

 I am including some illustrations entailed in this book (found below), for the purpose of this book review. I do not own the copyright to these artworks, the copyright of these artworks belong to Frank Frazetta Properties LLC.

 

 

Movie Review: The Dark Knight Rises

 Bane: "Gotham, take control... take control of your city. Behold, the instrument of your liberation! Identify yourself to the world!"

The Dark Knight Rises, is the third installment of Chris Nolan's Batman trilogy, and the director has promised a fitting conclusion to this well beloved movie series. Ever since the release of Batman Begins in 2005, the audiences have journeyed alongside one fictional character, Bruce Wayne. His titanic battles to wrench a city and its people that he cares so much about, from the dooming grasps of monstrous villains, such as the likes of the shadowy Ra's Al Ghul, and the anarchic Joker.

Batman Begins, received many positive praises. But its squeal The Dark Knight, due to the mesmerizing performance of Heath Ledger as The Joker, a well executed plot, impressive visuals and an all round excellent cast, set a new standard for movies of this genre almost impossible to surpass.

  The announcement and the release of the finale in this trilogy, has generated hypes and very high expectations. Some suspect, if The Dark Knight Rises would be able to match the standard set by its predecessor. After seeing this movie, personally, I think Dark Knight Rises is every bit as good as the Dark Knight. Whatever element that is missing from its predecessor, the Dark Knight Rises makes up with strengths of its own.

Synopsis:

  It has been 8 years since the event in The Dark Knight. The city of Gotham is enjoying a prospering peace. A peace secured by a lie, told by James Gordon and Bruce Wayne to hide the truth behind Harvey Dent's death and his actions. Under this lie, Harvey Dent is worshiped as a hero, and his legacy has kept the most dangerous criminals in Gotham to be locked up in the prison. Batman took the blame for Harvey Dent's actions, subsequently disappeared, and became a villain in public eyes of the Gotham city.

Bruce Wayne, after retiring from his former crime fighting career as the Batman, has retreated to a lifestyle of a hermit, a haunting ghost in his mansion. Completely withdrawn from the society and human contact, living under the shadow of grief, despaired over the tragic death of his former love interest, Rachel Dawes.

It is at the height of the peaceful time, a mysterious, masked figure known as "Bane" made an appearance into the theme. Bane is as intelligent as Batman, and physically stronger than Batman in his prime. A symbol of utilitarianism masked with a more dire undercurrent motivation.

Despite his physical deterioration and past injuries, with Gotham city threatened by the dooming villainy again, Bruce Wayne is forced to dome the cape and cowls once more, to overcome the physical obstacles, to triumph over the trauma that haunts his memories, to be the Dark Knight once more, the last bastion rising up against the incoming torrent of chaos, unleashed by the villainous Bane.

What I think about this movie:

The Dark Knight Rises, brings a fitting conclusion to the Dark Knight trilogy. A thought provoking, epic and satisfying end to a fantastic movie series. For the first time in this movie franchise. Batman has met a villain of his equal (and superior), a masked villain called Bane. Tom Hardy's portrayal as Bane is superb, bringing the audience with an overwhelming presence of menace, intelligence and brutality. For an actor performing with a mask covering half of his face. Tom Hardy still managed to successfully presented the essence of Bane to the audience, with the expression of his eyes and body language. As usual, Christian Bale's performance as Bruce Wayne is as good as in the previous Batman films, his portrayal of Bruce Wayne as a man haunted and struggling with his past memories, is exactly what is needed in a film such as The Dark Knight Rises. Anne Hathaway's portrayal as Selina Kyle/Catwoman brings many surprises to the previous speculation that the introduction of Catwoman might ruin the film. In the movie, Catwoman has an interesting relationship with Batman, and she brings many intrigues and twists of plot well knitted into the overall story. The introduction of the character James Blake, is an interesting addition, his character is a mixture between Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent, a character that never looses hope. In general, the cast of The Dark Knight Rises did excellent jobs in bringing their characters to vivid liveness on the silver screen.

The director Chris Nolan also brought a grand visual spectable in The Dark Knight Rises. The action scenes are exciting, energetic and vibrant. The dark undertone of the movie pulsed and matched with the theme of Bruce Wayne story, under a brilliant blend of on-beat and off-beat rhythmic harmony.

The brilliancy of the grim story in this movie, shined through the exploration of some inter-related topics:

1) Barbarism vs. civilization: The story of The Dark Knight Rises reflects the descendancy of a civilized society into barbarism. In this movie, the society was not invaded by "barbarians at the gate". Rather, the society took a plunge into barbarism from the collapse within, the dismantling of a structure setup by human failures.

2) Utilitarianism: To destroy the city of Gotham, Bane did not use his physical might. He employed a tactic more powerful. Through his speech, Bane successfully embedded the idea that human rights can be considered as a guidance to morality. In a society where the chasm between the rich and poor is vast, Bane empowered the people manipulatively, making them believe that it is their right to take control, that their perception of ethics is the only thing that matters. The result is the people are fooled into starting a revolution under a dictator with ulterior motives.

3) The story of this movie attempted to demonstrate; even with the best of intentions. Concealing the truth can led to dire consequences.

The story of The Dark Knight Rises allures to the symbolism from Charles Dicken's novel, A tale of two cities. The drama unfolded in Gotham city is set in the theme of revolution, where Bane acts as the figurehead of a revotionary, an utilitarian and a dictator. The heroes in the movie who opposed Bane; such as Batman, James Gordon, Lucius Fox and John Blake, are characters equivalent to Sydney Carton, protecting that which they love with altruism and courage.

While some people might accuse The Dark Knight Rises being preachy, and packed with hidden agenda. But to me, I think the story illuminates a profound underlying reality: Even with our best intentions, our limited human abilities and sense of justice can sometimes do more harm than good. The civilization that we attempt to uphold with our perceptions of ethics can breed true injustice, and when it reaches a boiling point, and under circumstances. All you need, is a slight push guided by would-be dictator with a personal ambition, then a revolution will make a civilization descend back into barbarism. This is not a fantasy story, but as history tells us it can happen, through the bloody examples of the French revolution, the Russian revolution, and the cultural revolution in China.

Dark, grim and reflective. The Dark Knight Rises ended the mythology of Bruce Wayne story with many touches of realism. A good mythology is the one where the moral of the story makes us think. Through the florid speech of the villain Bane, we are challenged with an honest question of vast relevance, lying at the heart of many social debates in our contemporary culture is this: Should we let human rights be the guidance to our ethics?

Movie rating: 9/10

Movie review: The Amazing Spiderman (3D)

 Here is a classic story that many people can recognize: Once upon a time, a teenage boy was bitten by a genetically mutated spider, and he acquired the abilities of a spider! The boy domed a spandex suit of red and blue, so he started a life long career of busting criminals and genetically mutated super bad guys. He is.. Spiderman!


  Spiderman has come a long way. He is a comic book superhero created by Stan Lee, first appeared in 1962. If you do the maths, this year, Spiderman will turn 50 years old! The chances are that most people beneath the age of 60 would have heard, read or watched stuff based on Spiderman. 


  I watched Spiderman in 2002, and certainly remember the memorable theme when the tearful Peter Parker (starring Toby Maquire) was told by his dying uncle that, "with great power, comes great responsibility". What a memorable line! Following the success of the first Spiderman mvie in 2002, the movie maker produced two more sequels, both were blockbusters and commercial successes. In 2012, the movie maker has decided to reboot the Spiderman movie franchise. Initially, I wasn't too sure if I even want to watch this new movie. After all, it was only 10 years ago that the first Spiderman was made. Why are they making a reboot already? Is this a sign that Hollywood is desperately struggling for new ideas?


Two weeks after the movie's release, I decided to check this movie out during my time off work. It turned out that the movie is actually pretty good, and I am here to provide a review for those who might be interested.

Synopsis:

  Peter Parker's parents were scientists. On a dark night, when Peter was still a child, they sent him to live with his uncle and aunt. Peter's parents subsequently disappeared afterward. As Peter was growing up, the mysterious disappearance of Peter's parents have left plenty of questions to be answered in Peter's mind. 10 years later, as a teenage school boy, Peter was a bit distant from the rest of the kids at school, he is being bullied, but often step up against the bullies for those who are being bullied. He has a love interest, Gwen Stacy. Peter caught the eyes of his love interest, after he tried to protect a kid who was  being publicly humiliated by a school bully.

 One day, Peter was cleaning the basement of his uncle's house. He discovered a briefcase, where he found his father's research notes. These puzzling notes roused Peter's interest to investigate the nature of his father's works. After being informed by his uncle that, his father used to work for Osborne corp. Peter sneaked into the company building, where he met his father's co-worker, Dr. Curt Connors. He slipped into a "secret research lab", and was bitten by a curious, little spider. On the way home, he felt into a trance on the subway train. When he woke up, he found himself with some pretty bizarre abilities.

But that is only the beginning of a series of adventures to follow..

What I think about the movie:

I think the new Spiderman movie is pretty good. While there is nothing really new to this movie that can make a distinction between the 2012 version and the 2002 version, but it is still a fun, entertaining  movie based on a very good story. The main theme in this movie, is still the relationship between "power" and "responsibility". This time, the theme is told in a more subtle way. The audience get to see the journey and the transformation that Peter Parker undertook, to become a superhero known as Spiderman.

There are a few differences between the 2002 movie and the 2012 movie other than different casts, directors, and improved CGI/speical effects. In the new Spiderman movie, the story kind of explained why Peter Parker doesn't have parents, and the disappearance of his parents plays an essential role to the main story of this movie. Other minor differences, such as Peter's love interest at school is Gwen Stacy, and not Mary Jane Watson, which is a more accurate reflection to the original Spiderman comics. Also, the main villain is "The Lizard". The story of this super villain is very well knitted into the main plot, and I think the story writer of the new Spiderman movie really deserves a round of applause.

The biggest difference in the new Spiderman movie, is that this movie is a lot darker than the 2002 version. The protagonist, Peter Parker went through a lot of emotional toils in this "origin story". Also, Spiderman is portrayed more realistically, as Peter Parker is often shown to be wounded and bruised after a night of superhero action. Inevitably, the darker undertone of the new Spiderman movie also means this film is more violent than the 2002 version. In terms of CGI, the special effects are really good, but I did not really feel like I was watching a 3D movie. There are occasional scenes when things "popped out" of the screen, but other than that, I think it wasn't "3D" enough.

There are a few things, a few sentences and dialogues that really grabbed my attention, and I would like throw them at my readers, inviting you to think about them, and cross-examine the worldviews presented in this movie against the Christian worldview, and see if they hold any truth:

- Uncle Ben: "If you can do good things for other people, then you have the moral responsibility to do it".

Question: What does it mean by "good"? It seems the definition of "good" is not very clear here. Also, Uncle Ben seems to be indicating that we should only do "good things" to people who we think that deserve it. Is this what the Bible teaches us? Who is actually good?

- Uncle Ben: "You owe the world your gifts.. come on home Peter, you are my hero".

Question: Are we in debt to the "world" because of our talents, where does this idea of "in debt" coming from? Are we morally obligated to serve others because we "owe" it to the "world"? What does the Bible say on this topic? I would like to invite my readers to think about "who" actually gave us our gifts (did the world give us our gifts?), and what doe Bible say about the reason why should we serve others? I think reading God's words will reveal a very different view, when compared to what Uncle Ben is saying here.

- Peter Paker: "This is my responsibility, I have to fix it".

Question: Can we really solve our problems with our good intentions? Can we find justifications for our actions, with our good intentions?

I leave my readers to discover the answers to the questions I listed above.

Summary:

The new Spiderman movie doesn't really have a lot of new things, to distinguish it from the 2002 version. Despite this, I still enjoyed the movie immensely. I think the reason is because the story of Spiderman is good, it has always been good. The story of Peter Parker, and his struggles to do the right thing, to be responsible for his powers, at the cost of his own interests, is something we can all identify ourselves with; at work, in our families, in our every day lives.

The Amazing Spiderman is a good movie, if you don't have a chance to see it in the cinema now, it might still be worth your time to hire it from a video store, when it is released for home media. It has a compact, emotional story, good special effects and lots of action scenes at neck-breaking pace. It is also worthwhile to reflect on the worldviews presented in this movie, and compare it against the Christian worldview, and next time, you will have a conversation starter.

Rating: 8/10